Public Awareness of Air Quality Issues in Manhattan Chinatown

Although governmental data showed that Manhattan Chinatown experiences one of the worst air qualities in New York City and has above the national average percentage of asthma cases, people there have been silent about the negative impact of poor air quality on their health. We investigated the community’s awareness of air quality issues and possible factors contributing to low public advocacy. Through interviews, survey, content analysis, and ethnographic observations, we examined the provision, dissemination, and consumption of air quality information in the community. Content analysis revealed an alarming invisibility and marginalization of the community’s actual concerns in news coverage, which was consistent with findings from interviews and survey about a lack of accessible, quality information sources and low information reach.