IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v11y2024i1d10.1057_s41599-024-03186-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of air pollution on human morality: A multinational perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Tomoaki Nakaishi

    (Kyushu University)

  • Sunbin Yoo

    (Kyushu University)

  • Shigemi Kagawa

    (Kyushu University)

  • Shunsuke Managi

    (Kyushu University)

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate whether global air pollution harms human morals beyond physiological and psychological health. To accomplish this, we conducted an original survey involving over 80,000 individuals across 30 countries, inquiring about their recent perceived unethical behaviors. Through regression analyses, we identified global evidence of a positive correlation between local monthly average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and perceptions of unethical behavior. This finding suggests that air pollution may potentially elicit unethical behavior through a complex response mechanism. It is noteworthy that the impact of air pollution on the inclination to perceive unethical behavior is heterogeneous across categories of unethical behavior and countries. For example, the effects of increasing air pollution concentrations vary even within the same European country: an increase in NO2 concentration in Greece and the Netherlands augments the inclination to perceive fatal unethical behaviors such as murder, terrorism, and suicide, while in Germany, NO2 concentration diminishes the inclination to perceive the same types of unethical behaviors. Overall, the societal costs of air pollution may be even more far-reaching than previously acknowledged, and further research is necessary to unveil the intricate response mechanisms underlying this issue.

Suggested Citation

  • Tomoaki Nakaishi & Sunbin Yoo & Shigemi Kagawa & Shunsuke Managi, 2024. "Impact of air pollution on human morality: A multinational perspective," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03186-z
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03186-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-024-03186-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-024-03186-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Siqi Zheng & Jianghao Wang & Cong Sun & Xiaonan Zhang & Matthew E. Kahn, 2019. "Air pollution lowers Chinese urbanites’ expressed happiness on social media," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 3(3), pages 237-243, March.
    2. Andrew Chapman & Hidemichi Fujii & Shunsuke Managi, 2019. "Multinational life satisfaction, perceived inequality and energy affordability," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(6), pages 508-514, June.
    3. Takanao Tanaka & Shohei Okamoto, 2021. "Increase in suicide following an initial decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 5(2), pages 229-238, February.
    4. Chai, Andreas & Bradley, Graham & Lo, Alex & Reser, Joseph, 2015. "What time to adapt? The role of discretionary time in sustaining the climate change value–action gap," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 95-107.
    5. Quan-Hoang Vuong, 2021. "The semiconducting principle of monetary and environmental values exchange," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 10(3), pages 284-290.
    6. Kalkuhl, Matthias & Wenz, Leonie, 2020. "The impact of climate conditions on economic production. Evidence from a global panel of regions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    7. Jones, Benjamin A., 2022. "Dust storms and violent crime," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    8. H. Spencer Banzhaf & Randall P. Walsh, 2008. "Do People Vote with Their Feet? An Empirical Test of Tiebout," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(3), pages 843-863, June.
    9. Tao Xue & Tong Zhu & Yixuan Zheng & Qiang Zhang, 2019. "Author Correction: Declines in mental health associated with air pollution and temperature variability in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-1, December.
    10. Matthieu Clement & Lucie Piaser, 2021. "Do inequalities predict fear of crime? Empirical evidence from Mexico," Post-Print hal-03433346, HAL.
    11. Minh-Hoang Nguyen & Thomas E. Jones, 2022. "Building eco-surplus culture among urban residents as a novel strategy to improve finance for conservation in protected areas," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, December.
    12. Yuan Li & Dabo Guan & Yanni Yu & Stephen Westland & Daoping Wang & Jing Meng & Xuejun Wang & Kebin He & Shu Tao, 2019. "A psychophysical measurement on subjective well-being and air pollution," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    13. Jennifer L. Doleac & Nicholas J. Sanders, 2015. "Under the Cover of Darkness: How Ambient Light Influences Criminal Activity," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 97(5), pages 1093-1103, December.
    14. Tao Xue & Tong Zhu & Yixuan Zheng & Qiang Zhang, 2019. "Declines in mental health associated with air pollution and temperature variability in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    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. Zhi Cao & Jingbo Zhou & Meng Li & Jizhou Huang & Dejing Dou, 2023. "Urbanites’ mental health undermined by air pollution," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(4), pages 470-478, April.
    2. Lohmann, Paul M. & Gsottbauer, Elisabeth & You, Jing & Kontoleon, Andreas, 2023. "Air pollution and anti-social behaviour: Evidence from a randomised lab-in-the-field experiment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    3. Ming, Yaxin & Deng, Huixin & Wu, Xiaoyue, 2022. "The negative effect of air pollution on people's pro-environmental behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 72-87.
    4. Quan-Hoang Vuong & Quang-Loc Nguyen & Ruining Jin & Minh-Hieu Thi Nguyen & Thi-Phuong Nguyen & Viet-Phuong La & Minh-Hoang Nguyen, 2023. "Increasing Supply for Woody-Biomass-Based Energy through Wasted Resources: Insights from US Private Landowners," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-20, May.
    5. Xuefeng Li & Han Yang & Jin Jia, 2022. "Impact of energy poverty on cognitive and mental health among middle-aged and older adults in China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Jinling Quan, 2019. "Multi-Temporal Effects of Urban Forms and Functions on Urban Heat Islands Based on Local Climate Zone Classification," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-35, June.
    7. Cường, Nghiêm Phú Kiên, 2023. "Thiếu thốn tài chính đang là rào cản trong công cuộc chống khủng hoảng khí hậu tại châu Phi," OSF Preprints ewtva, Center for Open Science.
    8. Cường, Nghiêm Phú Kiên, 2023. "Thiếu thốn tài chính đang là rào cản trong công cuộc chống khủng hoảng khí hậu," OSF Preprints gkb7t, Center for Open Science.
    9. André Hajek & Hans-Helmut König, 2023. "Do Individuals with High Climate Anxiety Believe That They Will Die Earlier? First Evidence from Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-8, March.
    10. Hania Rahimi-Ardabili & Thomas Astell-Burt & Phi-Yen Nguyen & Juan Zhang & Yu Jiang & Guang-Hui Dong & Xiaoqi Feng, 2021. "Green Space and Health in Mainland China: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-22, September.
    11. Xinming Du, 2023. "Symptom or Culprit? Social Media, Air Pollution, and Violence," CESifo Working Paper Series 10296, CESifo.
    12. Nguyen, Minh-Hoang & Vuong, Quan-Hoang, 2023. "The $25-1000 range and inadequate argument on the restoration of the mangrove-seagrass ecosystems," OSF Preprints 8t2fx, Center for Open Science.
    13. La, Viet-Phuong & Nguyen, Minh-Hoang, 2023. "Khủng hoảng khí hậu: Chiến tuyến nào? Đối phương nào?," OSF Preprints u9mde, Center for Open Science.
    14. Quang-Loc, Nguyen & Nguyen, Minh-Hoang & La, Viet-Phuong, 2023. "Academic writing and AI: Day-4 experiment with mindsponge theory," OSF Preprints awysc, Center for Open Science.
    15. Nguyen, Minh-Hoang, 2023. "Academic writing and AI: Day-2 experiment with cultural additivity," OSF Preprints 25yjw, Center for Open Science.
    16. Vuong, Quan-Hoang & Nguyen, Minh-Hoang & La, Viet-Phuong, 2023. "Một số vấn đề môi trường cần lưu ý khi khai thác và tinh chế Nickel," OSF Preprints qwh3a, Center for Open Science.
    17. Jin Sun & Chuntian Lu & Jinchen Xie, 2022. "The Impact of Sustained Exposure to Air Pollutant on the Mental Health: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-15, May.
    18. Nguyen, Minh-Hoang, 2023. "Academic writing and AI: Day-1 experiment," OSF Preprints xgqu5, Center for Open Science.
    19. Gia, Phi Hành, 2023. "Khi “tổn thất phụ” là môi sinh," OSF Preprints rxgy3, Center for Open Science.
    20. Aatishya Mohanty & Nattavudh Powdthavee & Cheng Keat Tang & Andrew J. Oswald, 2024. "Temperature Variability and Natural Disasters," Papers 2409.14936, arXiv.org.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03186-z. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.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.