- Email: [email protected]
Ongoing research
Person. individ. 01% Vol. 8, NO. 5, p. 169, 1987 Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
0191-8869187 .s3.oo + 0.00
Copyright 0 1987 Pergamon Journals Ltd
ONGOING RESEARCH Some psychological,
health, demographic air pollution
M. ZEIDNER
and M. SHPCHTER’
School of Education and ‘Dept of Economics, (Received
and economic correlates of
University
13 October
of Haifa, Mt Camel,
31999 Israel
1986)
GENERAL BACKGROUND Air pollution figures prominently in the literature as a major source of potential environmental stress in modern urban society. Air pollution may create a major overload condition for certain individuals and bring about diseases of adaptation, characterized by heightened degrees of anxiety, tension and anger, as well as affecting the incidence of human morbidity and mortality. Systematic information with respect to the health, psychological, demographic and economic correlates of air pollution may be regarded as an essential input in decisions on air quality management. Unfortunately, however, very little systematic research has been conducted on the psychological correlates of what is perceived to be high toxic environments and little data is available on the actual degree of perceived threat, concern, or anger associated with air pollution. Also, in view of the primacy of coping and adaptation mechanisms in stress research, little data is available on coping mechanisms employed in response to environmental stress. Indeed, very little is known about the nexus of ‘relationships between exposure to air pollution at home or work, awareness or concern with air-pollution, personality factors (e.g. anger, anxiety), health factors (past disease, recent ailments) and the willingness to pay for or contribute to the reduction of pollution. GOALS OF RESEARCH In order to fill some of the gaps in the research, this study sets out to gather psychological, micro-epidemiological, demographic and economic data related to air pollution. Specifically, we will address the following questions: (a) Does concern and anger with effects of air pollution vary as a function of differential exposure to air pollution in the environment? (b) How do individuals report coping with air pollution? (c) Are individuals, who are relatively anxious or angry by trait, also likely to express more concern, anxiety and anger with air-pollution in their surroundings? (d) Do personality, background or health factors affect an individual’s willingness to pay to reduce air pollution in the environment? (e) How do personality factors relate to health indicators (incidence of disease and ailments)? METHOD This research will be based on a multi-stage probability sampling procedure, based on interview data collection technique, comprising about 2000 households in the Haifa area. The data to be collected fall into four major categories: (a) Demographic (sex, SES, marital status, etc.), (b) Epidemiological (subjects’ exposure to pollution at home and work, present and past medical disabilities and ailments, etc.), (c) Psychological (trait anger, trait anxiety, concern with air pollution at home and at work, anger evoked by air pollution and modes of coping with air pollution, perceived health, etc.), and (d) Economic (valuation of reduction in air pollution gathered via contingent willingness to pay measures). RESEARCH PLAN AND TJME SCHEDULE Data are presently being collected and will continue to be collected during the academic year of 1986/1987, and findings analyzed and summarized during the summer of 1987.
769
0191-8869187 .s3.oo + 0.00
Copyright 0 1987 Pergamon Journals Ltd
ONGOING RESEARCH Some psychological,
health, demographic air pollution
M. ZEIDNER
and M. SHPCHTER’
School of Education and ‘Dept of Economics, (Received
and economic correlates of
University
13 October
of Haifa, Mt Camel,
31999 Israel
1986)
GENERAL BACKGROUND Air pollution figures prominently in the literature as a major source of potential environmental stress in modern urban society. Air pollution may create a major overload condition for certain individuals and bring about diseases of adaptation, characterized by heightened degrees of anxiety, tension and anger, as well as affecting the incidence of human morbidity and mortality. Systematic information with respect to the health, psychological, demographic and economic correlates of air pollution may be regarded as an essential input in decisions on air quality management. Unfortunately, however, very little systematic research has been conducted on the psychological correlates of what is perceived to be high toxic environments and little data is available on the actual degree of perceived threat, concern, or anger associated with air pollution. Also, in view of the primacy of coping and adaptation mechanisms in stress research, little data is available on coping mechanisms employed in response to environmental stress. Indeed, very little is known about the nexus of ‘relationships between exposure to air pollution at home or work, awareness or concern with air-pollution, personality factors (e.g. anger, anxiety), health factors (past disease, recent ailments) and the willingness to pay for or contribute to the reduction of pollution. GOALS OF RESEARCH In order to fill some of the gaps in the research, this study sets out to gather psychological, micro-epidemiological, demographic and economic data related to air pollution. Specifically, we will address the following questions: (a) Does concern and anger with effects of air pollution vary as a function of differential exposure to air pollution in the environment? (b) How do individuals report coping with air pollution? (c) Are individuals, who are relatively anxious or angry by trait, also likely to express more concern, anxiety and anger with air-pollution in their surroundings? (d) Do personality, background or health factors affect an individual’s willingness to pay to reduce air pollution in the environment? (e) How do personality factors relate to health indicators (incidence of disease and ailments)? METHOD This research will be based on a multi-stage probability sampling procedure, based on interview data collection technique, comprising about 2000 households in the Haifa area. The data to be collected fall into four major categories: (a) Demographic (sex, SES, marital status, etc.), (b) Epidemiological (subjects’ exposure to pollution at home and work, present and past medical disabilities and ailments, etc.), (c) Psychological (trait anger, trait anxiety, concern with air pollution at home and at work, anger evoked by air pollution and modes of coping with air pollution, perceived health, etc.), and (d) Economic (valuation of reduction in air pollution gathered via contingent willingness to pay measures). RESEARCH PLAN AND TJME SCHEDULE Data are presently being collected and will continue to be collected during the academic year of 1986/1987, and findings analyzed and summarized during the summer of 1987.
769