How Do Environmental News and the Documentary Influence Air-Pollution Knowledge and Risk Perception Among Beijing Residents?

• Main Authors: Yixin Chen, Xinchuan Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2021-05-01
• Series: SAGE Open
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211015712

To examine Beijing residents’ risk perception of contracting smog-related diseases, we proposed a model in which air-pollution knowledge is a theoretical mechanism accounting for the influence on risk perception of exposure to environmental news and exposure to Under the Dome , an environmental documentary about smog in China, which has been censored. Data ( N = 523) were collected from Beijing residents from February to March in 2017. We analyzed the data using Hayes’ PROCESS macro. Findings revealed that environmental-news exposure is positively associated with both air-pollution knowledge and risk perception. Exposure to environmental news has an indirect effect on risk perception through air-pollution knowledge. Exposure to Under the Dome is positively related to risk perception but is not related to air-pollution knowledge. We contributed to the literature by empirically testing the impact of Under the Dome , which has been largely studied via the critical theory approach. Implications included that Under the Dome is a successful risk communication model and that its impact goes beyond increasing public risk perception of smog.