Investigating the effects of air pollution on subjective wellbeing in Malta

Abstract

The relationship between air pollution and wellbeing is observed to be intensifying, as research in recent years report the negative consequences of air pollution on human health. Research has shown that air pollution acts as a threat to the wellbeing of individuals on both the short and long term. Air pollution has been observed to affect several aspects of an individual’s life as it can cause potential nuisance, discomfort and even ill health. Furthermore, increasing rates in both morbidity and mortality are being further associated with this environmental burden. This study serves as an investigation with the aim to identify and explore the extent of air pollution on the hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing of residents targeted from 6 localities in Malta. Four of these localities represent a rural, urban, industrial and a coastal environment while the other two represent areas with high and low population densities respectively. This allowed for a comparison on both socio-demographic and spatial contexts as these were identified as having major roles in influencing wellbeing. An online survey questionnaire served as the main data collection tool for this study and included three sections that were dedicated to demographics, hedonic wellbeing and eudaimonic wellbeing respectively. Data was processed using statistical tests and these showed that only educational level and civil status seem to affect hedonic wellbeing while employment and civil status have been observed to affect eudaimonic wellbeing. On the other hand, qualitative information showed that each of the localities seem to be affected by the environmental burden of air pollution. The only difference is that the problem is manifested differently