Citizens’ Satisfaction with Air Quality and Key Factors in China—Using the Anchoring Vignettes Method

Zongfeng Sun and Jintao Li
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Zongfeng Sun: School of Political Science and Public Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
Jintao Li: Institute of Governance, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-19

Abstract: This study uses the anchoring vignettes method to accurately measure citizens’ perceptions of air quality by correcting for the measurement errors which often exist in subjective satisfaction indexes. Our study shows that there is significant variation in satisfaction with air quality before and after using the anchoring vignettes method, especially when calculating and comparing satisfaction levels with the city-level air quality index. In addition, we found that the actual air pollution does indeed decrease citizens’ satisfaction with it, but that the relationship between the two is non-linear. However, among the relevant pollution indicators, citizens are more easily influenced by PM2.5 rather than by SO 2 and dust emission concentrations. Finally, our research also found evidence to support the idea that public expectations of air quality in China affect satisfaction levels. Our findings therefore challenge the idea that the relationship between actual and perceived air quality is straightforward, and also confirm that expectation theory holds true for levels of satisfaction with air quality.

Keywords: anchoring vignettes; air quality; satisfaction; expectation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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