Environmental and resident health issues associated with air pollution are an area of growing concern for both policy officials and the general public. In recent years, China has been accelerating the construction of a Beautiful China and a Healthy China, with the aim of protecting and improving the environment and ensuring public health. In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of air quality and air pollution perception on residents’ health. This study used the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey data to measure self-rated health, mental health, and air pollution perception. Using matched socioeconomic indicators and air pollution data, we analyzed the relationship between subjective perception of air pollution, objective air pollution data, and residents’ health. The results showed the following: (1) Air pollution perception has a significant negative impact on self-rated health and mental health. Thus, it needs more consideration to reduce environmental health risks. (2) Objective air pollution has a significant negative impact on mental health. At the same time, its effect on self-rated health was insignificant. These results provide empirical evidence supporting the Chinese government’s decision to invest more in combating air pollution and ensuring the health of Chinese residents.

In China, blue sky defense is a crucial part of ecological environment governance. Objective environmental governance performance needs to be perceived by the public to more truly affect the public’s evaluation of the government’s environmental governance. This paper focuses on the public’s subjective perception of air pollution and evaluation of the local government’s environmental governance. Based on the Chinese General Social Survey data, the matched economic indicators, and air pollution data, we conduct a diachronic study on the public’s evaluation of local governments’ environmental protection work, and we analyze the relationship between the subjective perception of air pollution, the objective air pollution data, and the evaluation of local governments’ environmental protection work. The results showed the following: (1) People’s evaluation of local governments’ environmental protection work significantly improved from 2013 to 2021. The objective indicator improved, while the subjective perception declined. (2) The subjective perception of air pollution has a significant negative impact on the evaluation of local governments’ environmental protection work and needs to be better considered to improve air quality. At the same time, the effect of the objective indicator is insignificant.

Enhancing people’s happiness should be the standard of public policies. With the growing prominence of air pollution issues, governments and scholars have started to pay attention to happiness as it relates to air pollution. However, the relevant research has been limited in China, and the results are not clear, with little attention given to subjective perception related to air pollution. In recent years, China has strengthened its efforts in containing air pollution, striving to fulfill the people’s longing for a blue sky. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of pollution governance on residents’ happiness, considering both objective and subjective aspects. Using the Chinese General Social Survey and data on PM₁₀, our study was diachronic in nature, analyzing residents’ happiness and the improvement in air quality as well as people’s evaluation of governance concerning pollution. The statistical methods used primarily included t-tests and multiple linear regression. The results showed the following: (1) Residents’ happiness showed a significant improvement from 2013 to 2021, accompanied by enhancements in both an objective improvement in air quality and subjective evaluation of pollution governance. (2) Both an objective improvement in air quality and the subjective evaluation of pollution governance showed positive effects on residents’ happiness. This study not only enriches the theoretical understanding of the relationship between air pollution and happiness but also provides valuable insights for formulating policies that are more conducive to pollution governance and public happiness. To enhance happiness, the government needs to continue improving the air quality and guide residents in appropriately evaluating pollution governance.

In the context of global aging, the decline in cognitive abilities among individuals, which can potentially worsen into dementia, poses a significant health challenge. China is a country with a high degree of population aging and severe air pollution. By applying regression analysis methods, this paper has analyzed the influence of air pollution on the cognitive decline of Chinese adults. The research results based on the China Family Panel Studies 2018 data and the China Statistical Yearbook reveal that: (1) There is a significant negative correlation between air pollution and cognitive abilities. (2) Mechanism analysis shows that air pollution indirectly affects cognitive abilities through its impact on individual depression levels, but the mediating effect of exercise on the relationship between pollution and cognitive abilities is not significant. (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates that pollution has a greater negative impact on cognitive abilities in the younger population compared to middle-aged and elderly individuals, and it has a significant negative impact on females, urban residents, and those with healthcare. (4) The main pollutants in exhaust gases all have significant cognitive ability depreciation effects, with SO2 being more harmful. The research results shall provide a realistic basis and a policy reference for the systematic promotion of environmental health work related to cognitive abilities.