Air Pollution Governance and Residents’ Happiness: Evidence of Blue Sky Defense in China

Enhancing people’s happiness should be the standard of public policies. With the growing prominence of air pollution issues, governments and scholars have started to pay attention to happiness as it relates to air pollution. However, the relevant research has been limited in China, and the results are not clear, with little attention given to subjective perception related to air pollution. In recent years, China has strengthened its efforts in containing air pollution, striving to fulfill the people’s longing for a blue sky. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of pollution governance on residents’ happiness, considering both objective and subjective aspects. Using the Chinese General Social Survey and data on PM10, our study was diachronic in nature, analyzing residents’ happiness and the improvement in air quality as well as people’s evaluation of governance concerning pollution. The statistical methods used primarily included t-tests and multiple linear regression. The results showed the following: (1) Residents’ happiness showed a significant improvement from 2013 to 2021, accompanied by enhancements in both an objective improvement in air quality and subjective evaluation of pollution governance. (2) Both an objective improvement in air quality and the subjective evaluation of pollution governance showed positive effects on residents’ happiness. This study not only enriches the theoretical understanding of the relationship between air pollution and happiness but also provides valuable insights for formulating policies that are more conducive to pollution governance and public happiness. To enhance happiness, the government needs to continue improving the air quality and guide residents in appropriately evaluating pollution governance.