Mixed-methods facilitaters/barriers RCB UB - Dataset

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is in the midst of a winter air pollution crisis driven by the combustion of solid fuels in the peri-urban Ger districts to which young children, fetuses and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable. To address this, the Mongolian government banned the sale and use of raw coal in May 2019 and has subsidized and promoted refined coal briquettes as an alternative fuel. This mixed-methods study utilized semi-structured interviews (n=30) and a questionnaire survey (n=369) to identify facilitators and barriers to compliance with the ban amongst Mongolian mothers living in Ulaanbaatar. Four main themes were identified that affected compliance: knowledge about air pollution, information sources, initial policy impacts and governance. Facilitators of participants’ ban compliance included awareness of the severity of air pollution’s health impacts, support for the policy and governmental enforcement. Concerns regarding fuel alternative safety and cost implications, as well as uncertainty about the policy (inadequate information) were found to be barriers. Incorporation of these insights in future air pollution mitigation strategies could be beneficial for strengthening their effectiveness, both in Mongolia and settings that face similar challenges throughout the world, which in turn could be a crucial step in meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda.蒙古国乌兰巴托正深陷冬季空气污染危机，该危机由城郊杰尔区（Ger districts）内固体燃料燃烧所引发，幼儿、胎儿与孕妇群体对此类污染的健康危害尤为易感。为应对该危机，蒙古国政府于2019年5月颁布禁令，禁止原煤的销售与使用，并对洁净煤球（refined coal briquettes）这一替代燃料予以补贴与推广。本项混合方法研究采用半结构化访谈（样本量n=30）与问卷调查（样本量n=369）两种研究手段，旨在明确乌兰巴托市蒙古国籍母亲群体遵守该原煤禁令的促进因素与阻碍因素。研究共识别出四类影响禁令遵守行为的核心主题：空气污染相关认知、信息获取渠道、政策初期实施效果与治理机制。促进研究对象遵守禁令的因素包括：对空气污染健康危害严重性的认知、对该政策的支持态度以及政府的执法力度。研究同时发现，阻碍遵守禁令的因素包括：对替代燃料安全性与成本的担忧，以及因信息不足导致的政策认知模糊。将本次研究所得结论纳入未来空气污染治理策略，可有效提升蒙古国乃至全球其他面临同类挑战地区的治理成效，而这亦是落实2030年可持续发展议程（Sustainable Development Goals agenda）的关键一环。