Avoidance behavior against air pollution: evidence from online search indices for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters in Chinese cities

Tong Liu; Guojun He; Alexis Lau

doi:10.1007/s10018-017-0196-3

Avoidance behavior against air pollution: evidence from online search indices for anti-PM_2.5 masks and air filters in Chinese cities

Tong Liu^*, Guojun He, Alexis Lau

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal Article › peer-review

65 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study investigates people’s behavioral responses to air pollution information in China. We find that elevated air pollution levels are positively associated with higher online searches for anti-PM_2.5 masks and air filters. A 10 µg/m³ increase in PM_2.5 is associated with a 3.6–8.4% increase of mobile queries for anti-PM_2.5 masks, and 1.1–4.7% for air filters. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that a haze alert issued when PM_2.5 concentration exceeds 250 µg/m³ would double online queries for anti-PM_2.5 masks and air filters. Online searches are also positively correlated with online sales. One day of severe pollution would induce a cost of 0.2 million USD on online expenditure on anti-PM_2.5 masks. Some suggestive evidence shows that people in richer and polluted cities tend to search more for anti-PM_2.5 masks and air filters than those in poorer and cleaner cities.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	325-363
Number of pages	39
Journal	Environmental Economics and Policy Studies
Volume	20
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-017-0196-3
Publication status	Published - 1 Apr 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies and Springer Japan KK.

Keywords

Air pollution
Avoidance behavior
Haze alert
Online search
PM

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1007/s10018-017-0196-3

Cite this

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title = "Avoidance behavior against air pollution: evidence from online search indices for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters in Chinese cities",

abstract = "This study investigates people{\textquoteright}s behavioral responses to air pollution information in China. We find that elevated air pollution levels are positively associated with higher online searches for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters. A 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 is associated with a 3.6–8.4\% increase of mobile queries for anti-PM2.5 masks, and 1.1–4.7\% for air filters. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that a haze alert issued when PM2.5 concentration exceeds 250 µg/m3 would double online queries for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters. Online searches are also positively correlated with online sales. One day of severe pollution would induce a cost of 0.2 million USD on online expenditure on anti-PM2.5 masks. Some suggestive evidence shows that people in richer and polluted cities tend to search more for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters than those in poorer and cleaner cities.",

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AU - He, Guojun

AU - Lau, Alexis

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N2 - This study investigates people’s behavioral responses to air pollution information in China. We find that elevated air pollution levels are positively associated with higher online searches for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters. A 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 is associated with a 3.6–8.4% increase of mobile queries for anti-PM2.5 masks, and 1.1–4.7% for air filters. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that a haze alert issued when PM2.5 concentration exceeds 250 µg/m3 would double online queries for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters. Online searches are also positively correlated with online sales. One day of severe pollution would induce a cost of 0.2 million USD on online expenditure on anti-PM2.5 masks. Some suggestive evidence shows that people in richer and polluted cities tend to search more for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters than those in poorer and cleaner cities.

AB - This study investigates people’s behavioral responses to air pollution information in China. We find that elevated air pollution levels are positively associated with higher online searches for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters. A 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 is associated with a 3.6–8.4% increase of mobile queries for anti-PM2.5 masks, and 1.1–4.7% for air filters. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that a haze alert issued when PM2.5 concentration exceeds 250 µg/m3 would double online queries for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters. Online searches are also positively correlated with online sales. One day of severe pollution would induce a cost of 0.2 million USD on online expenditure on anti-PM2.5 masks. Some suggestive evidence shows that people in richer and polluted cities tend to search more for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters than those in poorer and cleaner cities.

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