Internet usage, environmental knowledge, and the surge of air pollution concern in China

Environmental pollution has become a serious public concern in China. What impact does the Internet have on people's perception of pollution? This study evaluates the causal effect of the Internet usage on the perception of air pollution by scrutinizing data from the China General Social Survey 2013. The results indicate that people who rely more heavily on the Internet for information perceive more severe pollution. This amplification effect cannot be attributed to the contextual factors including economic development or pollution severity through increasing the usage of the Internet. This study concludes with an exploratory mechanism analysis which demonstrates that people acquire greater environmental knowledge by using the Internet which serves to raise the awareness and amplify the perceived seriousness of air pollution.