How does air pollution risk perception affect residents’ subjective well-being? A structural equation model approach

Air pollution has caused many risks to people, but little research has been done on the effect of residents’ air pollution risk perception on their subjective well-being. In order to reveal their relationship, this paper divides air pollution risk perception into four dimensions: risk controllability, risk trust, risk acceptability and risk effect, and explores the effects of different dimensions of air pollution risk perception on subjective well-being based on the structural equation model. The results show that risk controllability, risk trust and risk acceptability can improve well-being, while risk effect can reduce well-being, and air quality satisfaction plays a mediating role. There are also internal influencing mechanisms among different air pollution risk perceptions. Particularly, in areas with poor air quality, risk controllability had a negative association with air quality satisfaction, and higher risk effect corresponded to a higher degree of risk controllability. This paper provides some suggestions for environmental management from the perspective of risk perception.