Perception of environmental pollution in a coal mine area: A case study of Hancheng Mine Area,Shaanxi Province
煤矿区居民的环境污染感知——以陕西省韩城矿区为例

The environmental behavior of the residents depends on their perception of environmental pollution.Hence,society should measure the implementation of various environmental protection efforts based on what the residents perceive as their impact on environmental pollution.Many heavy industries abound the Xiayukou and Liaoyuan coal mine areas,owing to their abundance in natural resources.Environmental pollution is serious and typical in this area;thus,the residents are anxious about their health. Using questionnaires,the present paper surveys the perception of residents living in the coal mine area to environmental concerns.The influencing factors in environmental perception were analyzed using the rank sum test.The results were obtained as follows.(1) The majority of the residents in the coal mine area are not satisfied with their living environment.The order of their interest is: air pollution > noise pollution > sanitation > water pollution.The pollution is mainly caused by coal processing.Hence,coal mining is not the main reason for the pollution in the coal mine area.(2) Age and period of residency have significant positive effects on perceptions on air,water,and noise pollutions;whereas education has a significant negative effect on perceptions on water and noise pollutions,as well as on sanitation.This phenomenon can be explained by various cultural groups having varied perceptions on environmental pollution.In addition,habitat has significant negative effect on perceptions on water and noise pollution.In conclusion,the present paper discusses the effects of these factors on the perception on environmental pollution and gives suggestions on the planning and management of the environment.