Title: Air pollution awareness and risk perception in ger areas of Ulaanbaatar

Authors: Bonjun Koo; Seong-Cheol Kang; Throstur Thorsteinsson; Ana Maria Cruz

Addresses: Center for Creation of Symbiosis Society with Risk, Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, 240-8501, Japan ' Department of Smart Cities, Graduate School, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 06974, South Korea ' Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 102 Reykjavík, Iceland ' Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan

Abstract: Residents in the ger areas of Ulaanbaatar aggravate air pollution by heavily using coal for heating and cooking. Measures intended to reduce air pollution in the ger areas have often been unsuccessful because such measures did not reflect the awareness and preference of the residents. In the belief that a better understanding of the characteristics and thinking of people affected by air pollution could help develop more effective measures, this paper investigates awareness, risk perception, and willingness to change of the ger residents regarding air pollution issues through a questionnaire survey with hypothesis testing. The results show that the ger residents' level of awareness about air pollution is quite high. While they perceive that information on air quality is insufficient, they acknowledge risks of air pollution well. The ger residents also show support for strong measures to curb air pollution and willingness to take burdens such measures may bring to them.

Keywords: air pollution; awareness; risk perception; ger areas; air quality; use of coal; heating; Mongolia; Ulaanbaatar.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2022.132932

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2022 Vol.71 No.3/4, pp.240 - 261

Received: 23 Sep 2021
Accepted: 14 Nov 2022
Published online: 20 Aug 2023 *

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