Communicating the Smog: The Mediating Role of Anxiety in the Formation of Public Attitudes Towards Air Pollution Control in Beijing

Public distrust and doubts about policy efficacy and governance capabilities are always of concern to policy-makers; opinion surveys are needed desperately to find out why, for a better communication pattern. Discussions around environmental problems such as the smog in Beijing are no exception. Based on rounds of surveys and interviews with Beijing residents, this study finds: (1) Those participants who ascribed the main cause to the surrounding industrial pollution tended to become very active in speculating on the reasons why car emission has been prioritized at the top of the policy agenda; (2) One trait dimension of the smog anxiety can play a mediating role in their buildup of such distrust and doubts. Its implication reiterates the necessity of making public policy motives and/or considerations available to the public to reduce misunderstandings and build mutual trust.