Psychological responses to air pollution: Some personality and demographic correlates

Moshe Zeidner; Mordechai Shechter

doi:10.1016/S0272-4944(88)80009-4

Psychological responses to air pollution: Some personality and demographic correlates

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper examines people's affective reactions towards air pollution and some personality and demographic correlates of these reactions. Data were collected by means of a survey based on a stratified cluster area probability sample of over 900 households in the Haifa region in northern Israel. In addition to demographic information, data were collected through structured interview procedure on trait anger and anxiety and a host of perceptions and attitudes with respect to air pollution, including: degree of anger and anxiety aroused by air pollution; perceived degree of pollution severity; propensity to pay towards pollution abatement; and methods of coping with air pollution. Perceived level of pollution is a stronger predictor of affective reactions and willingness to pay to reduce pollution than is the objective level of pollution. Furthermore, individuals more emotionally aroused with respect to a polluted environment are more prone to put in time and more willing to allocate financial resources towards pollution abatement. This study implicates age, perceptions of tax inadequacy, and personality variables as correlates of negative affect and willingness to pay. The decision theoretic implications of the data are discussed.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	191-208
Number of pages	18
Journal	Journal of Environmental Psychology
Volume	8
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(88)80009-4
State	Published - Sep 1988

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The data were collected as part of a study on 'Benefits of morbidity reduction from air pollution control', funded by the U.S. Israel Binational Science Foundation. The authors would like to thank Prof. Charles Spielberger for his warm support of this research enterprise. Thanks are also due to Prof. Gary W. Evans for providing the authors with some of his seminal papers on air pollution attitudes and affective reactions and to Prof. Ralf Schwarzer for his valuable comments to parts of the manuscript.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Applied Psychology

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10.1016/S0272-4944(88)80009-4

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title = "Psychological responses to air pollution: Some personality and demographic correlates",

abstract = "This paper examines people's affective reactions towards air pollution and some personality and demographic correlates of these reactions. Data were collected by means of a survey based on a stratified cluster area probability sample of over 900 households in the Haifa region in northern Israel. In addition to demographic information, data were collected through structured interview procedure on trait anger and anxiety and a host of perceptions and attitudes with respect to air pollution, including: degree of anger and anxiety aroused by air pollution; perceived degree of pollution severity; propensity to pay towards pollution abatement; and methods of coping with air pollution. Perceived level of pollution is a stronger predictor of affective reactions and willingness to pay to reduce pollution than is the objective level of pollution. Furthermore, individuals more emotionally aroused with respect to a polluted environment are more prone to put in time and more willing to allocate financial resources towards pollution abatement. This study implicates age, perceptions of tax inadequacy, and personality variables as correlates of negative affect and willingness to pay. The decision theoretic implications of the data are discussed.",

author = "Moshe Zeidner and Mordechai Shechter",

note = "Funding Information: The data were collected as part of a study on 'Benefits of morbidity reduction from air pollution control', funded by the U.S. Israel Binational Science Foundation. The authors would like to thank Prof. Charles Spielberger for his warm support of this research enterprise. Thanks are also due to Prof. Gary W. Evans for providing the authors with some of his seminal papers on air pollution attitudes and affective reactions and to Prof. Ralf Schwarzer for his valuable comments to parts of the manuscript.",

year = "1988",

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doi = "10.1016/S0272-4944(88)80009-4",

language = "English",

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journal = "Journal of Environmental Psychology",

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PY - 1988/9

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N2 - This paper examines people's affective reactions towards air pollution and some personality and demographic correlates of these reactions. Data were collected by means of a survey based on a stratified cluster area probability sample of over 900 households in the Haifa region in northern Israel. In addition to demographic information, data were collected through structured interview procedure on trait anger and anxiety and a host of perceptions and attitudes with respect to air pollution, including: degree of anger and anxiety aroused by air pollution; perceived degree of pollution severity; propensity to pay towards pollution abatement; and methods of coping with air pollution. Perceived level of pollution is a stronger predictor of affective reactions and willingness to pay to reduce pollution than is the objective level of pollution. Furthermore, individuals more emotionally aroused with respect to a polluted environment are more prone to put in time and more willing to allocate financial resources towards pollution abatement. This study implicates age, perceptions of tax inadequacy, and personality variables as correlates of negative affect and willingness to pay. The decision theoretic implications of the data are discussed.

AB - This paper examines people's affective reactions towards air pollution and some personality and demographic correlates of these reactions. Data were collected by means of a survey based on a stratified cluster area probability sample of over 900 households in the Haifa region in northern Israel. In addition to demographic information, data were collected through structured interview procedure on trait anger and anxiety and a host of perceptions and attitudes with respect to air pollution, including: degree of anger and anxiety aroused by air pollution; perceived degree of pollution severity; propensity to pay towards pollution abatement; and methods of coping with air pollution. Perceived level of pollution is a stronger predictor of affective reactions and willingness to pay to reduce pollution than is the objective level of pollution. Furthermore, individuals more emotionally aroused with respect to a polluted environment are more prone to put in time and more willing to allocate financial resources towards pollution abatement. This study implicates age, perceptions of tax inadequacy, and personality variables as correlates of negative affect and willingness to pay. The decision theoretic implications of the data are discussed.

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Psychological responses to air pollution: Some personality and demographic correlates

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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