Approach to and effectiveness of environmental risk education of public: case of indoor environmental risk consciousness in beijing.

Abstract

Increasing concern regarding environmental risk in China has led to a need for education on environmental health and safety. In this paper, we report on four main ways to enhance environmental risk consciousness of the public. By investigating residents' indoor environmental risk consciousness in Beijing, we appraised the effectiveness of current environmental risk education approaches. Our investigation showed that the indoor environmental risk consciousness of most residents is high. Most residents have some environmental risk knowledge, have a strong desire to demand better quality of their living environment, and would like to invest in it. However, people's actual behavior in terms of reducing health risk factors fall comparatively behind. It is important to use all approaches to carry out environmental risk education. Not only should new knowledge be imparted, but the public should also be trained how to take precautions against pollution. The extension of education from campus to society is also necessary.