Citizen Perception About the Impact of Air Pollution on their Health and Quality of Life: Pilot Study

Abstract

The purpose of the present pilot study was to determine the citizens’ perception of the impact of air quality in Bogota in the health and quality of life of the population. For this, a citizen perception survey instrument was designed and conducted in 4 neighborhoods of the city, selected according to their air pollution conditions. Each survey was made up of 23 questions; 50 surveys were conducted in each neighborhood, for a total of 200 surveys. In general, more than 80 % of the surveyed population perceives poor air quality in the city and acknowledge the negative impacts of this problem. In all neighborhoods and socio-economical levels, more than 50 % of the population believes public transportation is the main source of air pollution, which evidences the importance of this emission source due to its closeness to people. Likewise, results show that the empowerment of citizens towards the city’s air pollution problem is limited, as the majority of the population does not identify the authority in charge of this matter in the city and does not recognize follow-up and control actions. This is a key element, taking into account that citizen participation in public policy processes can lead to the generation of collective actions towards a better environmental condition in Bogota