It is well-known that air pollution, noise, and green spaces influence our health. But what about the way we perceive our living environment? A new study by Joachim Gotink and Sylvie Gadeyne shows that not only do objective environmental factors matter, but our personal perception of them also plays a role in mortality risk.
Data from the 2001 Belgian census was linked with mortality records and objective measurements of air pollution, noise levels, and green spaces in the Brussels-Capital Region. They found that people who perceived their neighborhood negatively had a higher risk of mortality—even when accounting for socioeconomic factors. Similarly, objective indicators of air pollution and green spaces were also linked to mortality.
One surprising finding was that individuals who felt satisfied with their living environment but lived in objectively poor conditions had the highest mortality risk. This suggests that subjective perception and objective environmental factors interact in complex ways to influence health outcomes.
These results highlight the importance of considering both measurable environmental factors and how people experience their surroundings. For policymakers aiming to improve public health, this means looking beyond air quality and green spaces alone—people’s perceptions matter, too.
Read the full study here: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030391
