COVID-19 疫情、經濟狀況與個人環境擔憂之跨國比較分析

Abstract

COVID-19 疫情自 2019 年底爆發以來，迅速蔓延至全球，對公共健康與經濟活動造成前所未有的衝擊。然而，疫情不僅改變了個人的日常生活，也可能影響了民眾對環境議題的看法。不同於過去研究多集中於單一國家或單一因素，本研究主要透過 Weber（2006）「總量有限的擔心假說」探討 COVID-19 疫情衝擊對個人環境擔憂程度的影響，特別著重於健康風險和經濟負面衝擊等複合政策危機之影響。 本研究運用國際社會變遷調查（International Social Survey Programme, ISSP）2020 年環境組資料，並結合世界衛生組織與世界銀行所公布之疫情與經濟指標，以 28 國個人樣本為分析對象，同時納入個人層級與國家層級因素進行估計。階層線性模型（hierarchical linear modeling）的分析結果發現，當各國於調查前一個月新增確診數相對較多時，民眾對環境議題的擔憂程度則越低，支持「總量有限的擔心假說」之論點；相對而言，疫情前一個月新增死亡數相對較多或是政府封鎖措施較為嚴格的國家則未有統計上顯著的影響。在經濟因素方面，當各國經濟成長率增加或是家戶收入較高時，反而減少個人對環境擔憂情感。上述發現有助於理解後疫情時代中，公共危機如何重塑民眾對環境議題的情感優先順序，並為未來各國環境政策與風險溝通提供實證參考。

Since its outbreak in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly spread globally, causing unprecedented shocks to public health and economic activity. However, the pandemic has not only altered individuals' daily lives but may also have influenced public perceptions of environmental issues. This study tests Weber’s (2006) Finite Pool of Worry (FPW) hypothesis by examining whether the COVID-19 pandemic crowded out individuals’environmental concern. Specifically, it analyzes how health risks and negative economic shocks jointly shaped environmental concern during a complex policy crisis. This study draws on data from the 2020 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Environment Module, combined with pandemic and economic indicators from the World Health Organization and the World Bank. The analysis covers individuals from 28 countries and incorporates both individual- and country-level variables. Hierarchical linear models revealed that countries with higher numbers of newly confirmed COVID- 19 cases during the month prior to the survey exhibited lower levels of environmental concern, lending support to the Finite Pool of Worry (FPW) hypothesis. Conversely, higher numbers of COVID-19 deaths and stricter lockdown measures during the month prior to the survey were not significantly associated with environmental concern. Regarding economic factors, higher economic growth rates and household incomes during the pandemic were associated with lower levels of environmental concern. Taken together, these findings contribute to understanding how public health and economic crises reshape environmental concern and offer important implications for environmental policymaking and risk communication.