Spatial variations in awareness of air pollution distributions

The accuracy of people's information concerning the spatial extent of air pollution in Christchurch is tested. Overall, the information was generally accurate, though people were more aware of the smoke pollution in the inner city area than of the sulphonation in an outer suburb. Of groups living in different parts of the city, residents of the more polluted areas are more aware of the local problems than are the population as a whole, whereas residents of the “cleaner” suburbs tend to over-stress this characteristic.