PERCEPTION OF AIR POLLUTION BY COMMUNITIES OF RETAILERS IN THE CITY OF DIADEMA, WITHIN THE SAO PAULO METROPOLITAN REGION, BRAZIL

Abstract

Air pollution is one of the most challenging issues faced in urban regions, and its perception by the population is an important aspect to its mitigation. This study investigated air pollution perceptions of two retailer communities from the city of Diadema: a downtown group (Centro), along a heavy traffic road, and a second one in the outskirts of the city (Bairro). The results show that the interviewees have a clear perception of air pollution (90% at Centro and 70% at Bairro) and correctly identified vehicular emissions as its main cause. However, most of the interviewees (65%) did not see themselves as a part of the problem. Interviewees’ perception on the evolution of air quality was coherent with data of pollutants concentrations. The divergence found between their perception and the official numbers for air quality should be noted. Statistically, there were no significant differences between the perceptions of the two communities.