Effects of environmental degradation on neighbourhood satisfaction and quality of life

This chapter explores how perception of environmental degradation such as the loss of natural areas, wildlife habitat and discharge of wastewater, as well as concerns for air pollution, relate to self-reported quality of life and neighbourhood satisfaction. Environmental degradation is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Data for the analysis are drawn from a household survey in the Detroit metropolitan area. The survey consisted of two parts: a mail questionnaire (n = 4077) and face-to-face interviews (n = 315). Findings show that environmental degradation affected neighbourhood satisfaction and quality of life. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the four-question environmental degradation index negatively affects quality of life and neighbourhood satisfaction after controlling other individual characteristics. Specifically, habitat loss and air pollution significantly affected respondents’ quality of life while air pollution significantly affected neighbourhood satisfaction. The chapter suggests that future studies are needed to refine these factors and explore other potential negative influences in an effort to improve the human condition.