The impact of green space perception, trust in scientists and climate anxiety in predicting the perception of air pollution health effects

Abstract

Air pollution is a risk factor associated with various adverse effects on physical and mental health. The aim of the present study was to predict whether the perception of green areas, trust in scientists and climate anxiety have an impact on the perception of the effects of air pollution on health (PAPH). Our sample was composed of communities of populated hills in Peru N=1088. We used the survey method, a non-probabilistic sampling design by quotas and face-to-face interviews. The results show that the variables analyzed have a significant positive impact, explaining 26% of the PAPH variance. Gender, age, educational level, perception of green spaces, trust in scientists and climate anxiety were identified as significant predictors. Climate anxiety was a variable that explained more of the variance compared to sociodemographics, perception of green spaces and trust in scientists. The main findings are discussed and highlight the importance of emotional factors in air pollution risk perception and their implications for policy and communication strategies to tackle environmental threats such as air pollution and health effects.