Study on Government Employees Concerns about Air Pollution and its Control in Nanchang, China

Air pollution has become an imminent hazard to public health in China. The government employees perceptions of air quality, pollution sources and the current policies are critical for air pollution control. A cross-sectional survey of 629 questionnaires to specifically targeted government employees was conducted between March and July of 2015. The aim of this paper is to assess the understanding of, and factors associated with the government employees’ understanding of air pollution causes and the government’s prevention policy in Nanchang. Survey results suggested that 39.5% of respondents felt anxious when exposed to contaminated air. A multivariable logistic regression model was used and declared that female and older adults were more anxious about current air pollution. Most of the respondents are aware of the three major causes of air pollution: motor vehicles (64.64%), industrial facilities (63.98%), and city development (53.78%). They also recognize the most effective method for air pollution control, namely national-wide control of air pollution (93.42%), increasing solar and other green energy (83.39%), and controlling current urban expansion (38.49%). In addition, about 72% of respondents believed that the local government did not spend enough on environmental protection, and 95.4% of respondents supported more government spending or action to improve air quality. A great majority of respondents thought the local leaders should place high priority on preserving and protecting the local environment. Our results suggest that local government should take quick action to implement effective regulations and laws for controlling air pollution during the fast growing industrialization development.