Public understandings of air pollution: the 'localisation' of environmental risk

Recent perspectives on public understandings of global environmental risk h ave emphasised the interpretation, judgement and 'sense-making' that takes place, modes of perception that are inextricably tied to aspects of 'local' context. In this paper we offer a current picture of the ways in which res idents think about the problem of urban air pollution. To do this we utilis e elements of a wider research project involving a survey and in-depth inte rviews with members of the public. In this way - and drawing upon the prior air pollution perception literature and recent work in the field of enviro nmental and risk perception - we present a more analytical interpretation t han has hitherto been approached. Conclusions are drawn which stress the lo calisation of people's understandings within the immediate physical, social and cultural landscape and also through a trust in personal experiences ov er any kind of information-based evidence. From this position, and with the development of implications for policy, we demonstrate the need to study p ublic perceptions if the objectives of air quality, and more generally, env ironmental management are to be achieved. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved.