The Impact of Environmental Pollution on Residents' Trust in Governments and Their Political Participation Behavior

The negative impact of environmental pollution on residents' health has been confirmed by many studies. However,environmental pollution is not only harmful to public health. Based on the data of 2010 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS),this paper systematically examines the impact of residents' perception of local environmental pollution on residents' trust in governments and their political participation behavior. The main findings are as follows:The perceived severity of environmental pollution impairs residents' trust in the government,but it does not inhibit residents' political participation. Residents' perception of different environmental pollution has different impacts on the trust of central and local governments. Residents' perception of the severity of air pollution has a greater impact on the trust of the central government than that of the local government,while residents' perception of the severity of water pollution has a greater impact on the trust of the local government than that of the central government. This is mainly due to the different judgments of residents on different environmental governance responsibilities of central and local governments. Environmental pollution has different impacts on the trust of residents in different regions and residential areas. Air pollution impairs the trust of residents in eastern and urban areas in the central government,while water pollution impairs the trust of residents in all areas in local governments. The improvement of residents' subjective well-being will help to enhance their trust in the central and local governments,while the increase in the intensity of internet usage will reduce their trust in the central government,and will also inhibit their own political participation. Therefore,environmental pollution control is related to the residents' trust in the government and social stability. The governments should make great efforts to carry out environmental pollution control,establish a fair and transparent system of environmental information disclosure,and strengthen the investigation and research of people's feelings,so as to enhance the residents' government trust and political participation.