IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i9p5613-d808815.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Changes in Air-Pollution-Related Information-Seeking Behaviour during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland

Author

Listed:
  • Wojciech Nazar

    (Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 3a, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland)

  • Marek Niedoszytko

    (Department of Allergology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland)

Abstract

Low air quality in Poland is a problem of particularly high urgency. Therefore, Poles must be aware of air quality levels, also during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to compare air-pollution-related information-seeking behaviour between the pre- and intra-pandemic periods as well as between the actual and theoretical machine-learning-forecasted intra-pandemic models. Google Trends search volumes (GTSVs) in Poland for air-pollution-related keywords were collected between January 2016 and January 2022. To investigate the changes that would have occurred without the outbreak of the pandemic, Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) machine-learning models were trained. Approximately 4,500,000 search queries were analysed. Between pre- and intra-pandemic periods, weighted mean GTSVs changed by −39.0%. When the actual intra-pandemic weighted mean GTSVs were compared to the intra-pandemic forecasts, the actual values were lower by −16.5% (SARIMA’s error = 6.2%). Compared to the pre-pandemic period, in the intra-pandemic period, the number of search queries containing keywords connected with air pollution decreased. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic might have facilitated the decrease. Possible causes include an attention shift towards everyday problems connected to the pandemic, worse mental health status and lower outdoor exposure that might have resulted in a lower intensity of non-pandemic-related active information-seeking behaviour.

Suggested Citation

  • Wojciech Nazar & Marek Niedoszytko, 2022. "Changes in Air-Pollution-Related Information-Seeking Behaviour during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-19, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:9:p:5613-:d:808815
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/9/5613/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/9/5613/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Monika Ścibor & Andrzej Galbarczyk & Grazyna Jasienska, 2019. "Living Well with Pollution? The Impact of the Concentration of PM 2.5 on the Quality of Life of Patients with Asthma," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Adrian Bartoszek & Dariusz Walkowiak & Agnieszka Bartoszek & Grzegorz Kardas, 2020. "Mental Well-Being (Depression, Loneliness, Insomnia, Daily Life Fatigue) during COVID-19 Related Home-Confinement—A Study from Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-12, October.
    3. Tomasz Wieczorek & Agata Kołodziejczyk & Marta Ciułkowicz & Julian Maciaszek & Błażej Misiak & Joanna Rymaszewska & Dorota Szcześniak, 2021. "Class of 2020 in Poland: Students’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Outbreak in an Academic Setting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-14, March.
    4. Sandra Rousseau & Nick Deschacht, 2020. "Public Awareness of Nature and the Environment During the COVID-19 Crisis," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 1149-1159, August.
    5. Karolina Hoffmann & Anna Paczkowska & Aleksandra Bońka & Michał Michalak & Wiesław Bryl & Dorota Kopciuch & Tomasz Zaprutko & Piotr Ratajczak & Elżbieta Nowakowska & Krzysztof Kus, 2022. "Assessment of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Pro-Health Behavior of Poles," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-14, January.
    6. Akay, Alpaslan, 2022. "The local and global mental health effects of the Covid-19 pandemic," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Agata Chudzicka-Czupała & Soon-Kiat Chiang & Damian Grabowski & Marta Żywiołek-Szeja & Matthew Quek & Bartosz Pudełek & Kayla Teopiz & Roger Ho & Roger S. McIntyre, 2022. "Predictors of Psychological Distress across Three Time Periods during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-16, November.
    2. Agnieszka Sękala & Krzysztof Foit & Damian Krenczyk & Tomasz Blaszczyk & Gabriel Kost & Mariola Jureczko, 2023. "The Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Master Graduates’ Employability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Yanju Luo & Jinyang Deng & Chad Pierskalla & Ju-hyoung Lee & Jiayao Tang, 2022. "New Ecological Paradigm, Leisure Motivation, and Wellbeing Satisfaction: A Comparative Analysis of Recreational Use of Urban Parks before and after the COVID-19 Outbreak," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-28, August.
    4. Violeta Mihaela Dincă & Mihail Busu & Zoltan Nagy-Bege, 2022. "Determinants with Impact on Romanian Consumers’ Energy-Saving Habits," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, June.
    5. Sam Hampton & Richard Blundel & Aqueel Wahga & Tina Fawcett & Christopher Shaw, 2022. "Transforming small and medium‐sized enterprises to address the climate emergency: The case for values‐based engagement," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1424-1439, September.
    6. Tiberiu Constantin Ionescu & Bogdana Ioana Fetecau & Stefan Zaharia & Elma-Maria Mînecan & Catalina Tudose, 2023. "Sleepless Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Insomnia Symptoms among Professionally Active Romanians during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-16, January.
    7. Ankica Kosic & Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović & Nebojša Petrović, 2021. "A Cross-Cultural Study of Distress during COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Protective and Risk Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Muhammad Jawad Sajid & Ernesto D. R. Santibanez Gonzalez, 2021. "The Impact of Direct and Indirect COVID-19 Related Demand Shocks on Sectoral CO 2 Emissions: Evidence from Major Asia Pacific Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Agata Trzcionka & Marta Włodarczyk-Sielicka & Piotr Surmiak & Anna Szymańska & Artur Pohl & Marta Tanasiewicz, 2022. "Quality of Life Assessment in Students from Polish Universities during the COVID-19 Pandemic According to WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-10, July.
    10. Mateusz Łuc & Marcin Pawłowski & Arkadiusz Jaworski & Karolina Fila-Witecka & Dorota Szcześniak & Hanna Augustyniak-Bartosik & Dorota Zielińska & Aleksandra Stefaniak & Anna Pokryszko-Dragan & Justyna, 2023. "Coping of Chronically-Ill Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparison between Four Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-14, March.
    11. Michalina Ilska & Anna Kołodziej-Zaleska & Anna Brandt-Salmeri & Heidi Preis & Marci Lobel, 2021. "Pandemic Stress and Its Correlates among Pregnant Women during the Second Wave of COVID-19 in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-11, October.
    12. Sandra Figueiredo & Raquel João & Laura Alho & João Hipólito, 2022. "Psychological Research on Sleep Problems and Adjustment of Working Hours during Teleworking in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-14, November.
    13. Philipp Bagus & José Antonio Peña-Ramos & Antonio Sánchez-Bayón, 2021. "COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-15, February.
    14. Iskandar Zainuddin Rela & Zaimah Ramli & Muhammad Zamrun Firihu & Weka Widayati & Abd Hair Awang & Nasaruddin Nasaruddin, 2022. "COVID-19 Risk Management and Stakeholder Action Strategies: Conceptual Frameworks for Community Resilience in the Context of Indonesia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-19, July.
    15. Mateusz Marciniak & Sylwia Jaskulska & Slaven Gasparovic & Brigita Janiūnaitė & Jolita Horbačauskienė & Renata Glavak Tkalić, 2022. "The Psychological Well-Being and Civic Engagement of Polish, Croatian and Lithuanian Academic Students during COVID-19 Outbreak," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-17, September.
    16. Eva Hernandez-Garcia & Evangelia Chrysikou & Anastasia Z. Kalea, 2021. "The Interplay between Housing Environmental Attributes and Design Exposures and Psychoneuroimmunology Profile—An Exploratory Review and Analysis Paper in the Cancer Survivors’ Mental Health Morbidity ," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-32, October.
    17. Israa H. Mahmoud & Eugenio Morello & Chiara Vona & Maria Benciolini & Iliriana Sejdullahu & Marina Trentin & Karmele Herranz Pascual, 2021. "Setting the Social Monitoring Framework for Nature-Based Solutions Impact: Methodological Approach and Pre-Greening Measurements in the Case Study from CLEVER Cities Milan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-28, August.
    18. Xueqin Wang & Yiik Diew Wong & Kum Fai Yuen, 2021. "Does COVID-19 Promote Self-Service Usage among Modern Shoppers? An Exploration of Pandemic-Driven Behavioural Changes in Self-Collection Users," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-22, August.
    19. Ewa Szuster & Paulina Kostrzewska & Anna Pawlikowska & Amanda Mandera & Małgorzata Biernikiewicz & Małgorzata Sobieszczańska & Krystyna Rożek-Piechura & Grażyna Jarząbek-Bielecka & Agnieszka Rusiecka , 2022. "Depressive and Sexual Disorders during the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Young Polish Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-12, February.
    20. Anna Mazur & Elżbieta Bartoń, 2022. "The Structure of the Relationship between Physical Activity and Psychosocial Functioning of Women and Men during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-22, September.

    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:19:y:2022:i:9:p:5613-:d:808815. 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.