Air Pollution - Information Needs and the Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour of Canadians - Final Report

5.0 Concern About Air Quality/Air Pollution

To help us understand where air pollution stands compared to other environmental problems, we asked Canadians to identify the most important environmental problem in the country today. We also assessed their level of concern about air quality with respect to a number of other environmental issues.

5.1 Most Important Environmental Problem

Air pollution or poor air quality, pollution in general and water quality are seen as the most important environmental problems.

It is clear that air quality issues are at the forefront when Canadians think about environmental problems facing the country. More than one-quarter of Canadians (28%) cite air pollution or poor air quality as the most important environmental problem facing Canadians today. Almost two in ten (18%) provide general comments about pollution as the most important problem. Twelve percent feel that water quality is the most important environmental problem facing this country. Other less frequently mentioned problems include cars/ trucks/traffic (4%), toxic chemicals or toxic waste (4%), climate change/Greenhouse Effect (4%), depletion of the ozone layer (4%), depletion of natural resources (3%), waste/garbage/recycling (3%) and industrial/emissions (2%). Nine percent of Canadians identify various other environmental problems³ as being the most important. Eight percent offer no opinion; one percent believe that there is no important environmental problem facing Canadians today.

Q.3 In your opinion, what is the most important environmental problem, if any, facing Canadians today? (n=1,213)
Multiple responses allowed

Quebecers (39%) are much more likely than Albertans (22%), Atlantic Canadians (19%) and residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan (15%) to say that air pollution or air quality is the most important environmental problem facing Canadians today. Given this finding, it is not surprising to find that francophones (40%) place greater importance on air pollution/air quality than do anglophones (25%). Canadians with some university education (37%), those between 45 and 59 years of age (33%), those who are very concerned about air quality (33%) and those from large urban centres of one million or more residents (33%) are also more likely to identify air pollution/air quality as the most important environmental problem in the country. In addition, those who think that air pollution affects health a great deal (31%) or somewhat (26%) are much more likely than those who believe it has little or no effect (18%) to cite air pollution/air quality as the most important environmental problem.

Women (21%) and Canadians with a respiratory illness (22%) are more likely than men (15%) and those without a respiratory illness (17%) to make general comments about pollution when asked about their perceptions of the most important environmental problem today.

Water quality is more likely to be seen as the most important environmental problem by men (15%) and anglophones (14%) than women (9%) and francophones (6%).

Atlantic Canadians (15%, dk/na) have the most difficulty or resistance to offering an opinion on this question.

According to most Montreal focus group participants, the most important environmental problem facing Canada today is pollution; there was some debate as to whether air or water pollution is more critical, although a consensus was reached that the two are related events and therefore equally important. Montreal participants also identified a number of other environmental problems that are identified in the quantitative survey. In general, Toronto and Vancouver focus group participants also identified many of these same problems. However, it is worth noting that Vancouver participants seemed slightly more likely than those in the Toronto sessions to place more emphasis on air pollution.

5.2 Relative Concern about Various Environmental Issues

Canadians are most concerned about the manufacture, use and disposal of toxic chemicals, water quality and air quality. They are less concerned about the depletion of the ozone layer and the use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production.

We presented respondents with a list of five environmental issues (the manufacture, use and disposal of toxic chemicals, quality of air, quality of water, the depletion of the ozone layer and the use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production) and asked them about their level of concern for each one. Overall, concern for each of these issues tends to be quite high, although the strength of this concern varies quite considerably.

More than nine in ten Canadians (93%) are very (74%) or somewhat (19%) concerned about the manufacture, use and disposal of toxic chemicals. Concern about water quality (72% very concerned, 20% somewhat concerned) and air quality (66% very concerned, 27% somewhat concerned) is also very high among the Canadian public. Even though overall concern is still high, the strength of this concern is much lower regarding the depletion of the ozone layer (50% very concerned, 37% somewhat concerned) and the use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production (40% very concerned, 35% somewhat concerned).

Q.4a-e I'd like to ask you about various environmental issues. Are you very, somewhat, not very, or not at all concerned about each of the following ... The manufacture, use and disposal of toxic chemicals ... The quality of air ... The quality of water ... The depletion of the ozone layer ... The use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production? (n=1,213)

The level of concern about these various environmental issues has changed very little over the course of the year. In general, Canadians now are slightly more concerned about the manufacture, use and disposal of toxic chemicals and air quality than they were in April, but are less concerned about the depletion of the ozone layer.

Overall, women tend to have higher levels of concern about each of these environmental issues than do men. This difference is most notable for the depletion of the ozone layer (55% very concerned vs. 44%) and the use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production (46% very concerned vs. 35%).

Canadians between 45 and 59 years of age tend to be the most concerned overall about the environmental issues we explored in this survey, while those between 16 and 29 years of age tend to be the least concerned.

Q.4a-e I’d like to ask you about various environmental issues. Are you very, somewhat, not very, or not at all concerned about each of the following ... The manufacture, use and disposal of toxic chemicals ... The quality of air ... The quality of water ... The depletion of the ozone layer ... The use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production? (n=1,213)
* The April 2001 results are from Environics 2001-1 Environmental Monitor

Apart from the manufacture, use and disposal of toxic chemicals, francophones have higher levels of concern about these environmental issues than do anglophones. Regionally, we find that while Quebecers have higher levels of concern for most of these issues, residents of the Prairies tend to be somewhat less concerned.

Canadians who feel that the environment has the biggest impact on health are more likely to be very concerned about the various environmental issues. However, it is worth noting that this relationship is not as evident with respect to concerns about air quality.

Canadians who have higher levels of concern about one environmental issue also tend to have higher levels of concern about other environmental issues. If they are concerned about air quality, they are also more likely to be concerned about water quality, the manufacture, use and disposal of toxic chemicals, the depletion of the ozone layer, and the use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production. For example, more than eight in ten Canadians who are very concerned about air quality (86%) also say that they are very concerned about water quality, whereas only 28 percent of Canadians who are not concerned about air quality report that they are very concerned about water quality.

It is not surprising to find that respondents who think that air pollution greatly affects the health of Canadians (82%) are much more likely than those who feel it only affects health somewhat (51%) or not much at all (31%) to suggest that they are very concerned about air quality. Similarly, Canadians who argue that the air pollution in their community has become worse in the last five years (77%) are more likely than those who feel that it has improved (65%) or stayed the same (58%) to be very concerned about air quality.

In general, Canadians with respiratory illnesses are more likely to be very concerned about these environmental issues than are Canadians who have not been diagnosed with a respiratory illness. This difference is most significant for air quality (72% vs. 64%) and the depletion of the ozone layer (57% vs. 48%).

In the focus group sessions, participants generally had mixed views about the seriousness of air quality. While certain participants, especially those who indicated that they had some respiratory problems, tended to be more concerned about air quality, others did not have the same level of concern and did not see it as a major problem. The following points illustrate focus participants' level of concern about air quality:

“It's not a daily concern that I fret over.”

“When I actually am breathing yeah... I'm not from Toronto, I grew up in the country. The air was good but since I moved here I've had problems and it's gross.”

“I now am very, very aware that on really smoggy days I do not go down to the lake front, I don't take the kids outside. It has definitely affected our lifestyle.”

“I mean, we're getting those smog alerts more and more often.”

“If you look back towards Vancouver, you'll see a yellow haze running straight as far as the eye can see. And that's something that's happened over the last 15 years. It's definitely getting noticeable.”

“I don't think it (air quality) is uppermost in most people's minds.”

³ The "other" responses include such things as acid rain, biological terrorism, poverty, environmental ignorance or apathy, urban sprawl and use of biotechnology