Perceptions of Quality of Life and Pollution among China's Urban Middle Class: The Case of Smog in Tangshan

Abstract

After decades of rapid economic development, China is facing severe environmental problems. In particular, smog in urban areas has recently attracted a great deal of scientific and media attention both domestically and internationally. Our focus in this article is on public perceptions of smog in the northern city of Tangshan, which is routinely ranked as one of the urban areas with the worst air quality in the nation. In this article, we present the results of qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys with 341 urban residents. We examine how these residents perceive and weigh the importance of various aspects related to quality of life, including their experience with air pollution. Study participants considered environmental quality an issue of lower priority than many others; however, they surprisingly ranked it over economic concerns such as jobs and income. Their responses suggest that, for many urban residents, environmental problems like smog are fundamentally linked to basic quality of life concerns such as physical health and family well-being. We interpret our findings in the context of literature on the rise of China's middle class, the rise of environmental consciousness, and the role of gender in mediating perceptions of pollution and family health. We also consider the implications of these findings for the control and remediation of air pollution in China today.

Air Pollution and Grassroots Echoes of “Ecological Civilization” in Rural China

“…According to these figures, Quzhou's 2014 annual mean level of PM 2.5 was 57 µm/m 3 34 . On its worst days, the level of PM 2.5 in Quzhou could reach several hundreds of μm/m 3 , but this was still far from the 1,000 µm/m 3 or more registered on the worst days in northern cities such as Tangshan in the study by Li and Tilt 2017 (this issue). Regardless of these comparisons, Quzhou city's air pollution was well above the level known to cause serious health issues, and the annual average level was more than four times the 10 µm/m 3 annual mean, the guideline limit set by WHO in 2005 35…”

“…23See also Li and Tilt 2017 (this issue) who show that urban residents in Tangshan ranked environmental protection higher than income and jobs but lower than, for instance, family harmony and children's education.…”

Breathe Easy? Local Nuances of Authoritarian Environmentalism in China's Battle against Air Pollution

“…Accessed 01 October 2015. See, also,Li and Tilt 2017 (in this issue). 11 Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China (MEP).…”

Chinese residents' environmental concern and expectation of sending children to study abroad

“…Environmental quality is a priority issue in China. Environmental problems such as smog have been essentially linked to basic quality of life issues such as physical health and family well-being [9]. In recent years, air pollution in China has been serious, especially in winter; it is easily noticed by residents and greatly adds to their concern about environmental degradation.…”

“…In the 1990s and 2000s, mainland Chinese immigrants worked hard to improve their natural and social environment and improve their quality of life for themselves and their children [ 17 ]. In addition, an increasing number of residents believe that environmental quality poses a considerable threat to the well-being of their children due to pollution or poor water quality [ 9 ]. Environmental concerns include a consumer’s emotional evaluation of environmental issues and are often conceptualized as direct preconditions for environmental purchasing intentions that reflect the extent to which individuals are ready to buy products and services from companies with a good environmental reputation [ 14 ].…”