The impact of air quality on public attention to depressive emotions: an empirical examination based on Chinese urban panel data
- 1Chongqing Mental Health Center , ,
- 2School of Economics and Business Administration, Chongqing University of Education , ,
Abstract
Depressive emotions have emerged as a critical public health concern, with their etiology closely linked to the natural environment, particularly air quality. Grounded in environmental stress theory and social support theory, this study utilizes panel data from 277 prefecture-level cities in China spanning 2011–2023 to theoretically analyze and empirically examine the effects of air quality on public attention to depressive emotions and the underlying mechanisms. The findings reveal that: First, improvements in air quality significantly reduce public attention to depressive emotions, a conclusion that remains robust across multiple robustness tests. Second, the unemployment rate serves as a partial mediator between air quality and public attention to depressive emotions, while healthcare workforce allocation and public fiscal expenditure effectively buffer the adverse psychological impacts of air quality deterioration. Third, the influence of air quality on public attention to depressive emotions exhibits significant urban heterogeneity, being more pronounced in eastern and central regions, cities with net population outflows, and mature and declining resource-based cities. By examining environmental public goods and social support systems, this study provides novel empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between air quality and public mental health, offering valuable insights for promoting synergy between environmental policies and social security policies.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026impact,
title = {{The impact of air quality on public attention to depressive emotions: an empirical examination based on Chinese urban panel data}},
author = {Chao Wang and Haitao Zhang},
journal = {Frontiers in psychology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1969885},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13719477},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The impact of air quality on public attention to depressive emotions: an empirical examination based on Chinese urban panel data
AU - Chao Wang
AU - Haitao Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Frontiers in psychology
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1969885
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13719477
AB - Depressive emotions have emerged as a critical public health concern, with their etiology closely linked to the natural environment, particularly air quality. Grounded in environmental stress theory and social support theory, this study utilizes panel data from 277 prefecture-level cities in China spanning 2011–2023 to theoretically analyze and empirically examine the effects of air quality on public attention to depressive emotions and the underlying mechanisms. The findings reveal that: First, improvements in air quality significantly reduce public attention to depressive emotions, a conclusion that remains robust across multiple robustness tests. Second, the unemployment rate serves as a partial mediator between air quality and public attention to depressive emotions, while healthcare workforce allocation and public fiscal expenditure effectively buffer the adverse psychological impacts of air quality deterioration. Third, the influence of air quality on public attention to depressive emotions exhibits significant urban heterogeneity, being more pronounced in eastern and central regions, cities with net population outflows, and mature and declining resource-based cities. By examining environmental public goods and social support systems, this study provides novel empirical evidence for understanding the relationship between air quality and public mental health, offering valuable insights for promoting synergy between environmental policies and social security policies.
SN - 1664-1078
ER -