The Grass Is Always Greener on My Side: A Field Experiment Examining the Home Halo Effect

Àlex Boso, Boris Álvarez, Christian Oltra, Jaime Garrido, Carlos Muñoz and Germán Galvez-García
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Àlex Boso: Nucleus of Social Sciences and Humanities, Butamallin Research Centre for Global Change, University of La Frontera, Temuco 1145, Chile
Boris Álvarez: Nucleus of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 1145, Chile
Christian Oltra: Department of Environment, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), 28040 Madrid, Spain
Jaime Garrido: Department of Social Sciences, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 1145, Chile
Carlos Muñoz: Department of Electronic Engineering, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 1145, Chile
Germán Galvez-García: Department of Psychology, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 1145, Chile

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 16, 1-18

Abstract: Wood-burning pollution is a severe problem in southern Chile, where every winter, people are exposed to unhealthy ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) concentrations. Urban air quality is a major concern for health officials, but public awareness campaigns tend to focus on outdoor hazards. Our understanding of how residents are exposed and perceive air pollution risks in their homes remains incomplete. This study explores the ability of participants to perceive indoor air quality. We collected data on 81 households, combining perceptions of air quality with objective measurements of PM 2.5 . Residents’ evaluations of air quality were systematically compared to inspectors’ evaluations in order to examine the home halo effect. We found that residents tended to overestimate air quality in their homes. We discuss how our data supported the existence of a home halo effect, but also point out the possibility that individuals’ ability to perceive air quality in indoor spaces is limited by other factors.

Keywords: indoor air quality; public perceptions; air pollution; wood smoke; energy transitions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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