Air pollution and mass media in China

An analysis of the environmental impacts of the media coverage on pollution in China

Sébastien Marchand and Damien Cubizol are carrying out a research project on the media coverage of air pollution in China in the framework of the Labex IDGM+, a research program associated with the ISite Clermont Auvergne Project.

Main objective of the project

The project aims to analyze the link between Chinese online media and air pollution levels databases. More specifically, the characteristics of these media articles, such as emotional tone, are extracted from the GDELT database, which contains information from media outlets all over the world. The aim is to assess the sensitivity of individuals and companies to environmental issues in China, and the impact on air quality.

The team

From September 2021 to February 2023, the team was assisted by a data scientist, Alexis Repon. He worked on a new machine learning algorithm to perfect text analysis and better target the content of the GDELT database. Thanks to his skills in data analysis, econometric studies have been improved and new data and variables have been added (satellite data, web search indices, company characteristics, etc.). Data visualization work was also carried out (word clouds, network graphs).

First results

A working paper, "Environmental News Emotion and Air Pollution in China," coauthored with Guo Huanxiu (Nanjing Audit University) and Elda Nasho Ah-Pine (ESC Clermont), was published in 2021 in the CERDI Working Paper Series. A new version of this paper was released recently, "Policy Change, Mass Media And Air Quality In China: New Paths To Face Air Pollution?."

The authors show that the Chinese media published more and more information about air pollution after the central government launched an anti-pollution policy in 2013. Has this policy had a positive effect on air quality? Sébastien, Damien, and their co-authors show that the increased presence of environmental issues in the media influences individual and collective behavior through the emotional tone of articles, with positive effects on air quality. These initial results are robust when they add a larger temporal dimension and various variables.

Other works

Other results emerged from these analyses. They show that companies are particularly sensitive to the emotions conveyed by press articles. This is especially true for companies located in cities where environmental regulations are stricter and for listed companies. Among these, the most media-sensitive are those with pollution levels close to air pollution standards and a diluted shareholding with participation from the Chinese state. Furthermore, traffic congestion and citizens’ environmental sensitivity are other factors confirming the link between media coverage and the improvement of environmental quality levels.

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