Who wants to change their transport habits to help reduce air pollution? A nationwide study in the caribbean

Abstract

Given its detrimental role in sustainability and community health, air pollution constitutes a global challenge nowadays, and urban transport has been proven to be a key contributor to the problem. At a population level, and especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), measures for reducing contamination usually require deep behavioral changes and “sacrifices” among individuals who may (or may not) be willing to modify their habits. This research, conducted in the Dominican Republic, aimed to assess the effect of individual factors, transport habits, and pollution-related concerns on the individual's will to act to reduce air pollution. For this study, we counted on the participation of a nationwide sample of 1250 adult Dominican citizens (50% females; 50% males) with a mean age of 36.7 years. Overall, Dominicans tend to self-report a considerably high concern about transport air pollution, especially among women and inhabitants of urban areas. The willingness to act was significantly influenced by demographic factors, travel frequency, and pollution-related concerns. Also, both individual and socially perceived environmental concerns exert a statistical mediation between individual factors and the self-reported predisposition to help reduce pollution through behavioral changes. The results of this study suggest that both individual and social pollution-related concerns influence the personal willingness to act against air pollution, although in different ways. Interestingly, while peoples' own concerns increase their willingness to act, solely perceiving a greater collective concern seems to dispirit individuals’ will to take further action. Accordingly, developing further individual and collective initiatives to increase pollution-related responsiveness could be essential to face this growing problem in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean.

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