IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i10p5422-d557620.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of PM 2.5 on People’s Emotion: A Case Study of Weibo (Chinese Twitter) in Beijing

Author

Listed:
  • Siqing Shan

    (School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
    Beijing Key Laboratory of Emergency Support Simulation Technologies for City Operation, Beijing 100191, China)

  • Xijie Ju

    (School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
    Beijing Key Laboratory of Emergency Support Simulation Technologies for City Operation, Beijing 100191, China)

  • Yigang Wei

    (School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
    Beijing Key Laboratory of Emergency Support Simulation Technologies for City Operation, Beijing 100191, China)

  • Zijin Wang

    (School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
    Beijing Key Laboratory of Emergency Support Simulation Technologies for City Operation, Beijing 100191, China)

Abstract

PM 2.5 not only harms physical health but also has negative impacts on the public’s wellbeing and cognitive and behavioral patterns. However, traditional air quality assessments may fail to provide comprehensive, real-time monitoring of air quality because of the sparse distribution of air quality monitoring stations. Overcoming some key limitations of traditional surface monitoring data, Web-based social media platforms, such as Twitter, Weibo, and Facebook, provide a promising tool and novel perspective for environmental monitoring, prediction, and evaluation. This study aims to investigate the relationship between PM 2.5 levels and people’s emotional intensity by observing social media postings. This study defines the “emotional intensity” indicator, which is measured by the number of negative posts on Weibo, based on Weibo data related to haze from 2016 and 2017. This study estimates sentiment polarity using a recurrent neural networks model based on LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) and verifies the correlation between high PM 2.5 levels and negative posts on Weibo using a Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression model. This study makes the following observations: (1) Taking the two-year data as an example, this study recorded the significant influence of PM 2.5 levels on netizens’ posting behavior. (2) Air quality, meteorological factors, the seasons, and other factors have a strong influence on netizens’ emotional intensity. (3) From a quantitative viewpoint, the level of PM 2.5 varies by 1 unit, and the number of negative Weibo posts fluctuates by 1.0168 units. Thus, it can be concluded that netizens’ emotional intensity is significantly positively affected by levels of PM 2.5 . The high correlation between PM 2.5 levels and emotional intensity and the sensitivity of social media data shows that social media data can be used to provide a new perspective on the assessment of air quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Siqing Shan & Xijie Ju & Yigang Wei & Zijin Wang, 2021. "Effects of PM 2.5 on People’s Emotion: A Case Study of Weibo (Chinese Twitter) in Beijing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-21, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5422-:d:557620
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5422/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5422/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Susana Ferreira & Mirko Moro, 2010. "On the Use of Subjective Well-Being Data for Environmental Valuation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 46(3), pages 249-273, July.
    2. Li, Zhengtao & Folmer, Henk & Xue, Jianhong, 2014. "To what extent does air pollution affect happiness? The case of the Jinchuan mining area, China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 88-99.
    3. Levinson, Arik, 2012. "Valuing public goods using happiness data: The case of air quality," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(9-10), pages 869-880.
    4. Pai‐Hsuen Chen & Chih‐Jen Lin & Bernhard Schölkopf, 2005. "A tutorial on ν‐support vector machines," Applied Stochastic Models in Business and Industry, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(2), pages 111-136, March.
    5. Ru-Jin Huang & Yanlin Zhang & Carlo Bozzetti & Kin-Fai Ho & Jun-Ji Cao & Yongming Han & Kaspar R. Daellenbach & Jay G. Slowik & Stephen M. Platt & Francesco Canonaco & Peter Zotter & Robert Wolf & Sim, 2014. "High secondary aerosol contribution to particulate pollution during haze events in China," Nature, Nature, vol. 514(7521), pages 218-222, October.
    6. Yu Liu & Xi Liu & Song Gao & Li Gong & Chaogui Kang & Ye Zhi & Guanghua Chi & Li Shi, 2015. "Social Sensing: A New Approach to Understanding Our Socioeconomic Environments," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 105(3), pages 512-530, May.
    7. John F Helliwell & Shun Wang, 2015. "How Was the Weekend? How the Social Context Underlies Weekend Effects in Happiness and Other Emotions for US Workers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Welsch, Heinz, 2006. "Environment and happiness: Valuation of air pollution using life satisfaction data," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 801-813, July.
    9. Zhang, Xin & Zhang, Xiaobo & Chen, Xi, 2017. "Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect mental health and subjective well-being?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 81-94.
    10. Yingying Xu & Zhixin Liu & Jichang Zhao & Chiwei Su, 2017. "Weibo sentiments and stock return: A time-frequency view," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(7), pages 1-21, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yang Liu & Mei-Po Kwan & Zihan Kan, 2023. "Inconsistent Association between Perceived Air Quality and Self-Reported Respiratory Symptoms: A Pilot Study and Implications for Environmental Health Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-17, January.
    2. Siqing Shan & Xijie Ju & Yigang Wei & Xin Wen, 2022. "Concerned or Apathetic? Using Social Media Platform (Twitter) to Gauge the Public Awareness about Wildlife Conservation: A Case Study of the Illegal Rhino Trade," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-21, June.
    3. Xuan Tian & Cheng Zhang & Bing Xu, 2022. "The Impact of Air Pollution on Residents’ Happiness: A Study on the Moderating Effect Based on Pollution Sensitivity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-20, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pan Zhang & Zhiguo Wang, 2019. "PM 2.5 Concentrations and Subjective Well-Being: Longitudinal Evidence from Aggregated Panel Data from Chinese Provinces," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-13, March.
    2. Sanduijav, Chimedregzen & Ferreira, Susana & Filipski, Mateusz & Hashida, Yukiko, 2021. "Air pollution and happiness: Evidence from the coldest capital in the world," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    3. Welsch, Heinz & Ferreira, Susana, 2014. "Environment, Well-Being, and Experienced Preference," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 7(3-4), pages 205-239, December.
    4. Han, Ahram & Ten, Gi Khan & Wang, Shun, 2023. "Gray skies and blue moms: The effect of air pollution on parental life satisfaction," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    5. Eleftherios Giovanis, 2019. "Worthy to lose some money for better air quality: applications of Bayesian networks on the causal effect of income and air pollution on life satisfaction in Switzerland," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(5), pages 1579-1611, November.
    6. Xuan Tian & Cheng Zhang & Bing Xu, 2022. "The Impact of Air Pollution on Residents’ Happiness: A Study on the Moderating Effect Based on Pollution Sensitivity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-20, June.
    7. Siqi Zheng & Xiaonan Zhang & Weizeng Sun & Chengtao Lin, 2019. "Air pollution and elite college graduates’ job location choice: evidence from China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 63(2), pages 295-316, October.
    8. Yuan, Liang & Shin, Kongjoo & Managi, Shunsuke, 2018. "Subjective Well-being and Environmental Quality: The Impact of Air Pollution and Green Coverage in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 124-138.
    9. Bertram, Christine & Rehdanz, Katrin, 2015. "The role of urban green space for human well-being," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 139-152.
    10. Ambrey, Christopher L. & Chan, Andrew Yiu-Chung & Fleming, Christopher M., 2013. "Estimating the cost of air pollution in South East Queensland: An application of the life satisfaction non-market valuation approach," 2013 Conference (57th), February 5-8, 2013, Sydney, Australia 152133, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    11. Ambrey, Christopher L. & Fleming, Christopher M., 2011. "Valuing scenic amenity using life satisfaction data," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 106-115.
    12. Qianqian Liu & Guanpeng Dong & Wenzhong Zhang & Jiaming Li, 2022. "The Influence of Air Pollution on Happiness and Willingness to Pay for Clean Air in the Bohai Rim Area of China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-13, May.
    13. Susana Ferreira & Mirko Moro, 2013. "Income and Preferences for the Environment: Evidence from Subjective Well-Being Data," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 45(3), pages 650-667, March.
    14. Wang, Jinxian & Wang, Yangjie & Sun, Cuicui & Chen, Xiaohong, 2021. "Does mandatory air quality information disclosure raise happiness? Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    15. Oswald, Andrew J., 2012. "The Value to the Environmental Movement of the New Literature on the Economics of Happiness," Economic Research Papers 270625, University of Warwick - Department of Economics.
    16. Julia Rechlitz & Luis Sarmiento & Aleksandar Zaklan, 2020. "Make Sure the Kids are OK: Indirect Effects of Ground-Level Ozone on Well-Being," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1877, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Ferreira, Susana & Akay, Alpaslan & Brereton, Finbarr & Cuñado, Juncal & Martinsson, Peter & Moro, Mirko & Ningal, Tine F., 2013. "Life satisfaction and air quality in Europe," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1-10.
    18. Tiziana Laureti, 2014. "Life satisfaction and environmental conditions in Italy: a pseudo-panel approach," Discussion Papers 2014/192, Dipartimento di Economia e Management (DEM), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
    19. Welsch, Heinz & Biermann, Philipp, 2014. "Fukushima and the preference for nuclear power in Europe: Evidence from subjective well-being data," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 171-179.
    20. Knight, S.J; Howley, P.;, 2017. "Can clean air make you happy? Examining the effect of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on life satisfaction," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 17/08, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5422-:d:557620. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.