Media use and anti-pollution action: Empirical evidence from 2021 Chinese General Social Survey

Environmental pollution increasingly requires public participation beyond everyday private pro-environmental behavior. Existing research has mainly examined media use in relation to daily pro-environmental behavior, but less is known about how traditional and new media shape citizens’ choices between institutional and non-institutional anti-pollution participation. Drawing on the O-S-R-O-R framework and using data from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey, this study analyzes the relationships among media use, policy knowledge, and anti-pollution action. The results show that traditional media use is positively associated with institutional anti-pollution action, and this relationship is fully mediated by policy knowledge. New media use is positively associated with non-institutional anti-pollution action, but policy knowledge does not mediate this relationship. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that the effects of media use vary across age, education, and social trust groups. We highlight the importance of traditional media in supporting rational, stable engagement and suggest that stronger regulation of new media is needed, thereby reducing protest activities and safeguarding social stability.