Public awareness and support for environmental protection—A focus on air pollution in peninsular Malaysia

As in many nations, air pollution linked to rapid industrialization is a public health and environmental concern in Malaysia, especially in cities. Understanding awareness of air pollution and support for environmental protection from the general public is essential for informing governmental approaches to dealing with this problem. This study presents a cross-sectional survey conducted in the Klang Valley and Iskandar conurbations to examine urban Malaysians’ perception, awareness and opinions of air pollution. The survey was conducted in two languages, English and Malay, and administered through the online survey research software, Qualtrics. The survey consisted of three sections, where we collected sociodemographic information, information on the public perception of air quality and the causes of air pollution, information on public awareness of air pollution and its related impacts, and information on attitudes towards environmental protection. Of 214 respondents, over 60% were positive towards the air quality at both study sites despite the presence of harmful levels of air pollution. The air in the Klang Valley was perceived to be slightly more polluted and causing greater health issues. Overall, the majority of respondents were aware that motor vehicles represent the primary pollution source, yet private transport was still the preferred choice of transportation mode. A generally positive approach towards environmental protection emerged from the data. However, participants showed stronger agreement with protection actions that do not involve individual effort. Nonetheless, we found that certain segments of the sample (people owning more than three vehicles per household and those with relatives who suffered from respiratory diseases) were significantly more willing to personally pay for environmental protection compared to others. Implications point to the need for actions for spreading awareness of air pollution to the overall population, especially with regards to its health risks, as well as strategies for increasing the perception of behavioural control, especially with regards to motor vehicles’ usage.与许多国家一样，马来西亚也面临着与快速工业化相关的空气污染问题，这已成为该国尤其是城市地区的公共卫生与环境关切议题。了解公众对空气污染的认知水平以及对环境保护的支持态度，可为政府制定空气污染应对策略提供关键依据。本研究针对巴生谷（Klang Valley）与伊斯干达都会区（Iskandar conurbations）开展了一项横断面调查，以探究马来西亚城市居民对空气污染的感知、认知与看法。本次调研采用英语与马来语两种语言开展，并通过在线调研软件Qualtrics进行问卷投放与数据收集。问卷共分为三个部分：第一部分收集受访者的社会人口学信息；第二部分采集公众对空气质量及空气污染成因的感知数据；第三部分涵盖公众对空气污染及其相关健康影响的认知情况，以及公众对环境保护的态度信息。在214名受访者中，尽管两处调研区域的空气污染水平已达到有害程度，但超过60%的受访者对当地空气质量持积极评价。受访者认为巴生谷的空气污染程度略高，且带来的健康问题更为严重。总体而言，多数受访者知晓机动车是主要的空气污染来源，但私人交通工具仍是他们偏爱的出行方式。调研数据显示，公众整体对环境保护持有积极态度，但受访者对无需个人付出努力的环保行动的认同度更高。不过，研究发现部分特定群体——即每户拥有超过3辆机动车的受访者，以及家中有亲属罹患呼吸系统疾病的受访者——相比其他群体，更愿意为环境保护自掏腰包。本研究的启示在于，需面向全体公众开展空气污染相关知识科普，尤其是其健康风险方面的宣传；同时还应制定策略，以提升公众对自身行为管控的认知，尤其是在机动车使用方面。