"Out of the Dome": An Exploratory Study of Female's Perception of Environmental Health Risk

• In Event: Environmental Narratives: Gender Roles, Citizen Engagement, and Storytelling

Abstract

This paper is an exploratory study that investigates the perception of current smog issues and related health risks among immigrant females in Hong Kong. Drawing on data from focus groups and in-depth interviews, this study attempts to examine attitudes among immigrant females toward air pollution and coping strategies toward environmental-health risk. It also explores possible agents for engaging females in future environmental participation. Findings suggest that immigrant females tend to pay a great deal of attention to the smog problem and are highly concerned about environmental health risk. Seven themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) perception of smog; (2) perception of health risk; (3) concern about air pollution; (4) information exchange; (5) female role; (6) escaping from smog; and (7) participation, ideas for solutions. A model is thus proposed to reflect these findings and to further serve as a theoretical basis for future environmental behavior research.

Authors

• Yanni MA, Washington State Universtiy

• Ying Roselyn Du, Hong Kong Baptist U

• Lei Vincent Huang, Hong Kong Baptist University