University students' perception of air pollution

Abstract

Air pollution poses a dual threat to both human health and the environment, necessitating urgent action to address its far-reaching impacts. This study investigates whether university students' perceptions of air quality align with actual conditions. The research methodology involved a survey distributed to undergraduate students from the University of Malta to assess their behaviours, attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of air quality. Additionally, NO2 concentration data was analysed using Inverse Distance Weighting – IDW, on QGIS to map the distribution of this harmful pollutant across the Maltese Islands. The survey provided insights into students' concerns about air quality, their support for restrictive measures, and their perceptions of the main factors contributing to poor air quality. A key focus of the study was comparing the perceptions of students regarding how they perceive air quality - from very poor to very good, in their locality of residence with the actual NO2 distribution across Malta and Gozo. The findings reveal that while students are generally aware of and concerned about air quality issues, their perceptions often do not align with reality.