Understanding the micro-determinants of defensive behaviors against pollution

Austin M. Williams

Ecological Economics, 2019, vol. 163, issue C, 42-51

Abstract: Air and water pollution impose substantial health costs on exposed populations. Individuals frequently engage in behaviors aimed at reducing this exposure, and these actions have associated costs. I use survey data to assess which types of individuals are most likely to engage in defensive behaviors and how this response varies over multiple types of environmental risk. Further, I assess the economic determinants of these defensive decisions. I find that education, age, hours spent on leisure activities, insurance status, and health status are significantly associated with defensive actions. In addition to providing information on which groups are responding to environmental degradation, this study investigates how underlying preferences and economic characteristics influence the type of defensive response.

Keywords: Defensive behavior; Avoidance behavior; Air pollution; Air quality alert; Water quality; Pollution costs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:163:y:2019:i:c:p:42-51

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.05.007

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