The Association Between Urban Air Environment And Residents’ Happiness

Happiness is the basis of a better life,but also related to the sustainable development of mankind.In recent years,although people’s material life is gradually improving,the level of happiness is declining.On the other hand,the problem of air pollution in cities continues to pile up.The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between urban air environment and residents’happiness,and to find out the key factors affecting residents’happiness level.The survey was conducted in Changsha in 2021,using the Oxford Standard Happiness Questionnaire to collect residents’happiness data and personal information.For air pollution factors,six pollutants were selected:particulate matter PM₁₀ and PM_2.5,carbon monoxide CO,nitrogen dioxide NO₂,sulfur dioxide SO₂ and ozone 0₃.Short-term and long-term exposure studies were conducted using data from ten monitoring stations in Changsha.Logistic regression model with odds ratio（OR）and 95%confidence interval（CI）was used to explore the effects of different types and exposure periods of air pollutants on residents’happiness,population sensitivity analysis was performed as well.It was found that:（1）NO₂ of the same day,SO₂ of the previous month,O₃ of the previous month and SO₂ of the previous year were significantly negatively correlated with residents’happiness,and their OR were0.56（0.35,0.90）,0.00（0.00,0.26）,0.89（0.81,0.98）and 0.00（0.00,0.02）,respectively.（2）Residents’personal information,working and living conditions,mental state and subjective evaluation of urban environment are significantly correlated with residents’happiness;（3）Sensitivity analysis showed that women,those with less exercise and self-rated health satisfaction were more sensitive to the impact of air pollution on happiness.The results show that different types of air pollutants have different effects on residents’happiness in different periods.Short-term exposure to automobile exhaust pollution（NO₂）and long-term exposure to industrial pollution（SO₂ and 0₃）can significantly reduce residents’happiness,and there is population heterogeneity in the effects.There are 12 figures,43 tables and 142 references.