Air pollution perception for air quality management: a systematic review exploring research themes and future perspectives

Abstract

Air pollution is perceived through sensory stimuli and interpreted by our brain. Perception is highly subjective and varies from person to person. As many direct and indirect factors influence air pollution perception, it is difficult to unearth the underlying mechanisms. Many studies have tried to understand the mechanisms and relations affecting perception, and it is important to evaluate those different approaches.
We systematically reviewed 104 studies on air pollution perception, following the PRISMA guidelines. There is a difference between the public's subjective perception and objective air quality measurements. This discrepancy has been found to occur due to varied socio-economic characteristics, knowledge, emotions, etc. The advent of social media and the internet has had a significant effect on risk perception. All these influencing factors create differences between the public's perception and the scientific community/policymakers. This gap can be fixed by tailoring science-backed information for better communication. Based on past studies, we highlight the need for tailored data dissemination, integration of big data for urban management, development of robust frameworks to incorporate perception and use of a perception index for better communication.