Adult population; Different pollution levels; Environmental risk perception

Public opinion on environmental problems and public risk perception is an important element of risk management and communication, and it is area specific. The presented analysis is focused on risk perception differences according to the pollution level. The questionnaire survey data of the project Healthy Aging in Industrial Environment (HAIE (2020–2021)) was used for the analysis. The risk perception of general and nine environmental problems was assessed with the use of 5-level Likert scale. The survey was conducted in two regions with completely different levels of air pollution relating also with the lifestyle—the agglomeration burdened by heavy and coal mining industry, the other region as the centre of the agricultural area. Between regions risk perception differences were assessed and controlled for sex, age, and education. The statistical analyses employed chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression (the significance level of 5%) and used the SW STATA v.17. In total, 3247 questionnaires (average age of respondents 48.7 years, 60% women, and 44.8% secondary education) were analysed. On the top of the proposed general problems, health of the respondents and their families, economic situation, and quality of health care in Czechia were the most pronounced. Quality of environment at the place of residence (OR = 2.08; 95% CI: 1.82–2.38), unemployment (OR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.43–1.86), and crime (OR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.43–1.85) were statistically more serious perceived in the polluted region in the fully adjusted models. In contrary, drug addiction (including alcohol consumption) was pronounced significantly less serious (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.74–0.97) in the industrial region. All listed nine environmental problems were perceived significantly more serious in the polluted region, at the top of them was air pollution at the place of residence (OR = 5.46; 95% CI: 4.73–6.29). Risk perception of general problems was similar in both regions with different level of air pollution except for perception air quality at the place of residence, unemployment, crime, and drug addiction. All of nine environmental problems were significantly more pronounced in the polluted region, especially air pollution at the place of residence. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.