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

13.0 Attitudinal Groups (continued)

13.2 Description of the Attitudinal Groups (continued)

Passive Optimists

The smallest of the five attitudinal groups developed for this study (8% of the Canadian population), Passive Optimists are the most positive about the air pollution situation in their community (34% improved). They are also more likely to agree (65% strongly agree) that individuals can take action that will effectively reduce air pollution. Furthermore, members of this group are more likely than their counterparts from the other attitudinal groups to prefer voluntary action by individuals and companies compared to government regulations and enforcement.

However, despite this optimism regarding the effectiveness of individual action, Passive Optimists are less willing to personally undertake certain activities that can help combat air pollution (pay higher taxes to support action against air pollution, 64% not very or not at all likely; limit their use of gas lawn mowers, leaf blowers, or snow blowers, 26% not very or not at all likely; choose a more fuel efficient car, 16% not very or not at all likely).

Overall, Passive Optimists are less concerned about environmental problems, especially air quality (52% not very or not at all concerned). In addition, they are the most likely (39%) to suggest that air pollution has little to no effect on health. This lower level of concern may be due in part to the fact that members of this group are less likely (13%) to indicate that they currently suffer (or have suffered) any health problems due to air pollution and of the five attitudinal groups, they are least likely to have been diagnosed with a respiratory illness.

Members of this group are the least familiar (43% somewhat or very familiar) with the air quality index and more likely (56%) to have never used it. They also have a greater preference to have air pollution provided to Canadians only when there is an air quality problem.

Looking at attitudinal responses from this group, we find that Passive Optimists tend to be ambivalent about the impact of air pollution on their life (17% gave a neutral response) and about the acceptability of pollution in an industrial society such as ours (28% gave a neutral response).

Passive Optimists tend to be more critical about the credibility of their municipal governments, the Internet and environmental groups as information sources in this area.

Looking at demographic characteristics, Passive Optimists have an overrepresentation from those between 30 and 44 years of age (38%). Those with annual household incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 (31%) and those who reside in communities between 5,000 and 100,000 inhabitants (24%) also figure prominently among members of th is group. Members of this group are also more likely to be men (58%).

Paradoxical Fatalists

Comprising one-quarter of Canadians (27%), Paradoxical Fatalists are the most likely to believe that they have no control over their life (mean 4.7, 24% strongly agree) and that they can't do much about their health except deal with the sickness when it comes (mean 5.3, 38% strongly agree). They also tend to agree that it is acceptable that an industrial society such as ours produces a certain degree of pollution (mean 4.8).

Paradoxical Fatalists are also the most likely of the five attitudinal groups to suggest that the environment (17%) has the biggest impact on a person's health. They also have higher levels of concern about air quality (78% very concerned) and have the highest proportion that feels that air pollution has a great deal of effect on health (66%). However, members of this group do tend to be more positive about the air pollution situation in their community (14% improved; 56% stayed the same) and are the most likely to agree that most impacts of air pollution will occur far in the future and will not affect their life (mean 3.8, 18% strongly agree).

Despite having more fatalistic attitudes and higher levels of concern about air pollution and its impact on health, Paradoxical Fatalists are the most positive that individuals can take actions to effectively reduce air pollution (67% strongly agree). In addition, they are personally more likely to undertake a number of activities to reduce air pollution (learn more about efficient driving habits, 58% very likely; take alternative methods of transportation to work, 57% very likely; support or join an environmental group, 26% very likely). In general, members of this group indicate that they are willing to make major changes in their daily lives to help reduce air pollution (mean 5.3, 32% strongly agree) and that they are more likely to change their behaviour if an air quality warning was issued (89% somewhat or very likely).

Members of this group tend to be more positive about the various types of air pollution information we examined in this survey, especially information concerning the human health effects and a forecast of how long an air pollution episode is expected to last. In addition, they tend to assign higher levels of credibility to the mainstream media (51% very credible), environmental groups (40% very credible), their provincial government (38% very credible) and the Internet (37% very credible).

A number of demographic characteristics distinguish this group. They are the least affluent and the least well educated of the five attitudinal groups. For example, four in ten Paradoxical Fatalists (41%) have an annual household income of less than $30,000 and a similar proportion (45%) have a high school education (24%) or less (21%). This group is also more likely to be 60 years of age and older (29%), francophone (30%) and living in Quebec (32%).

Anxious And Alienated

The remaining attitudinal group, Anxious and Alienated, are the most likely to identify air pollution/air quality (34%) as the most important environmental problem facing Canadians today and report higher levels of concern about air quality (77% very concerned). Comprising one-fifth of the population (19%), members of this group are more likely to say that air pollution affects the health of Canadians a great deal (61%) an d are the most pessimistic about air pollution in their community (69%, became worse over the last five years). Furthermore, they are more likely to disagree that most impacts of air pollution will occur in the future and will not affect their lives (mean 2.2).

Despite this higher level of concern about air issues, members of this group are less likely to turn this concern into action. They would be less likely to change their behaviour when confronted with an air quality warning (17% not at all likely to do something different) and they are the least optimistic regarding the individual's ability to take actions that will effectively reduce air pollution. In addition, they are very ambivalent (mean 3.8, 24% neutral) about their willingness to make major changes in their daily life, including driving less, to help reduce air pollution.

With respect to specific individual actions, Anxious and Alienated members are less likely to suggest that they would join or support an environmental group (59% not very or not at all likely), pay more for gasoline or other non-renewable fuels (53% not very or not at all likely) or take alternative methods of transportation to work (24% not very or not at all likely).

Members of this group tend to suggest that the federal government (41%) should play the lead role against air pollution problems. They also put much more faith in government regulations and enforcement (86%) compared to voluntary action by companies (11%) when assessing the most effective approach to combat air pollution.

Of note, Anxious and Alienated members are the most familiar with the air quality index (57% somewhat or very familiar). However, those that are not at all familiar with this index are less likely to use it in the future.

Members of this group are more likely to be men (54%), between 30 and 44 years of age (36%), anglophones (80%), and from Ontario (47%), especially Toronto (21%).

Q.4b 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 quality of air? (n=1,213)

Q.5 In your view, to what extent does air pollution affect the health of Canadians? Does it affect them a great deal, somewhat, not very much or not at all? (n=1,213)

Q.8 Do you personally suffer, or have you suffered, any health problems that you feel were due to air pollution? (n=1,213)