Why do we misperceive air pollution? A scoping review of key judgmental biases

IF 2.9 4区环境科学与生态学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Air Quality Atmosphere and Health Pub Date : 2024-10-09 DOI:10.1007/s11869-024-01650-y

Àlex Boso, Christian Oltra, Boris Álvarez, Jaime Garrido, Álvaro Hofflinger, Germán Gálvez-García

{"title":"Why do we misperceive air pollution? A scoping review of key judgmental biases","authors":"Àlex Boso, Christian Oltra, Boris Álvarez, Jaime Garrido, Álvaro Hofflinger, Germán Gálvez-García","doi":"10.1007/s11869-024-01650-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Air pollution stands as a primary environmental factor influencing mortality globally. Despite its significance, individuals frequently struggle to assess the risks associated with polluted environments. This paper delves into the psychological mechanisms that contribute to the discrepancy between public perception of air quality and objective measurements. Through an extensive literature review spanning several decades, six fundamental heuristics that underpin misperceptions of air quality are identified and examined. The article further explores the theoretical and practical implications of acknowledging these biases in the development of urban environmental policies. By addressing judgmental biases, urban planners can improve the communication of risk information among lay people and ensure that environmental improvements are acknowledged and valued by all members of the community.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"18 2","pages":"447 - 460"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11869-024-01650-y.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-024-01650-y","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Air pollution stands as a primary environmental factor influencing mortality globally. Despite its significance, individuals frequently struggle to assess the risks associated with polluted environments. This paper delves into the psychological mechanisms that contribute to the discrepancy between public perception of air quality and objective measurements. Through an extensive literature review spanning several decades, six fundamental heuristics that underpin misperceptions of air quality are identified and examined. The article further explores the theoretical and practical implications of acknowledging these biases in the development of urban environmental policies. By addressing judgmental biases, urban planners can improve the communication of risk information among lay people and ensure that environmental improvements are acknowledged and valued by all members of the community.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Air Quality Atmosphere and Health ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES-

CiteScore

8.80

自引率

2.00%

发文量

146

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Air Quality, Atmosphere, and Health is a multidisciplinary journal which, by its very name, illustrates the broad range of work it publishes and which focuses on atmospheric consequences of human activities and their implications for human and ecological health. It offers research papers, critical literature reviews and commentaries, as well as special issues devoted to topical subjects or themes. International in scope, the journal presents papers that inform and stimulate a global readership, as the topic addressed are global in their import. Consequently, we do not encourage submission of papers involving local data that relate to local problems. Unless they demonstrate wide applicability, these are better submitted to national or regional journals. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health addresses such topics as acid precipitation; airborne particulate matter; air quality monitoring and management; exposure assessment; risk assessment; indoor air quality; atmospheric chemistry; atmospheric modeling and prediction; air pollution climatology; climate change and air quality; air pollution measurement; atmospheric impact assessment; forest-fire emissions; atmospheric science; greenhouse gases; health and ecological effects; clean air technology; regional and global change and satellite measurements. This journal benefits a diverse audience of researchers, public health officials and policy makers addressing problems that call for solutions based in evidence from atmospheric and exposure assessment scientists, epidemiologists, and risk assessors. Publication in the journal affords the opportunity to reach beyond defined disciplinary niches to this broader readership.