Living in regions of high anthropogenic night sky brightness (skyglow) decreases the recognition of light as a pollutant

Anthropogenic light is omnipresent in the landscape with recognised negative impacts on natural environments and public health. Current absence of light pollution mitigation is driven by limited understanding of citizens’ perceptions (feeling of safety, awareness of impact, support for mitigation measures). We used a stratified survey to explore the impact of residing in regions with different sky brightness levels on the perception of anthropogenic light. Brightness levels were perceived as satisfactory, despite most recognising negative impacts. Respondents who lived or grew up in high-sky brightness regions were more likely to feel unsafe and to perceive anthropogenic light as beneficial for nature and health. Support for technological mitigation measures and awareness campaigns was high, but support for shorter illumination time was higher in areas with lower sky brightness. Changing perceptions of anthropogenic light in regions of high sky brightness will be critical to mitigate light pollution, requiring concerted actions mixing information campaigns focusing on health impacts and technological solutions to decrease the duration of light emissions.