Environmental risk perception and its influence on well-being

This study aims to investigate the effects of environmental risk perception on the evaluation of socioeconomic development and subjective well-being in China.

A questionnaire survey was conducted, and data were collected from 408 participants of four major universities and government organizations in Changsha, China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the collected data and to test the hypotheses with regard to the relationship among latent variables. Bayesian method was used as the statistical inference procedure.

Results show that environmental risk perception has a direct negative influence on perceived socioeconomic development and on subjective total well-being (i.e. both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being). The perceived socioeconomic development has a direct positive effect on the subjective total well-being; thus, it plays a partial mediation role between environmental risk perception and subjective total well-being.

Findings suggest that the environment protection act of the government and their contribution to socioeconomic development will significantly affect the total well-being of people. The empirical analysis is based on survey data; thus, this study may suffer the common problems of questionnaire survey.

Promoting pro-environment and health behaviors is important in developing a happy society.

This study demonstrates a significant negative effect of environmental risk perception on the total well-being of people according to SEM approach. This study determines two independent paths for government and policy makers to increase the total well-being of people in China, namely, increasing socioeconomic value to people and controlling and reducing environmental threats.