Explaining Apathy Toward Air Pollution

Across India, air pollution offers a stark example of environmental degradation. Large portions of the country, including many major cities, are consistently ranked as having the most polluted air in the world. Yet despite its adverse consequences for public health, opinion surveys suggest air pollution is not prioritized as an important election issue by Indian citizens, even within highly impacted areas like the national capital of Delhi. Why? We test several potential explanations through a major household survey of over 3000 residents across Delhi-NCR. In doing so, we provide some of the first rigorous data on how residents of Delhi view the problem of air pollution and how they evaluate potential policy solutions. An initial working paper from this project is available here.

In a related research study, we examine how India’s policymakers view the issue of air pollution. Specifically, we examine why elected officials take low or ineffective policy actions to reduce air pollution. This research will draw on the findings of unique in-person survey of state-level representatives across north India, the first such survey of elite politicians in India. Our findings hope to shed light on how India’s politicians strategically view environmental policymaking.

This project was recently awarded two grants: from Penn’s OVPR’s University Research Grant and Penn Global’s India Research and Engagement Fund Grant.