People in the Ostrava agglomeration are in favour of planting new greenery
The survey showed that over half of the people in the Ostrava agglomeration take an active interest in air quality and consider it an important topic. However, the level of satisfaction with air quality in the region is relatively low; only 2.7% of respondents replied that they were satisfied with it. Asked about the causes of poor air quality, respondents said that the most important cause was industry, and the least important cause was household heating. Only a quarter of respondents thought that air quality today is better than it was 10 years ago; 30% of people answered that the air today is actually worse than a decade ago, and 41.5% answered that it is about the same.
Slightly over half of the respondents (58.5%) stated that they were willing to play an active role in improving the environment and air quality in the region. 18.3% stated that they use eco-friendly heating systems, 42.9% said that they regularly use public transport or shared transport, and 71.4% do not burn household waste.
86% of respondents are in favour of planting new greenery. Over 80% are convinced that the structure of greenery in urban areas can influence air quality. Three-quarters of the respondents would welcome new forms of greenery in urban areas, such as vertical gardens, green façades and green roofs.
The survey also found that almost one-tenth of respondents were seriously considering moving away from the region due to the poor air quality. A further 16.3% have thought about relocating, but are not sure about taking such a step. In other words, around a quarter of the respondents are considering or have considered moving away from the area due to poor air quality. However, more than 37% of the respondents stated that air quality did not restrict their activities in any way (e.g. due to worsened health or unwillingness to spend time outdoors).
From mid-October to mid-November 2019 the survey addressed 602 respondents (294 men and 308 women) over the age of 18. The respondents were from the largest towns and cities in the Moravian-Silesian Region and the surrounding municipalities: Bohumín, Český Těšín, Frýdek-Místek, Havířov, Karviná, Opava, Hlučín, Ostrava and Třinec.
The results of the survey will be used as input data for a study focusing particularly on respondents’ willingness to change their behaviour and lifestyle in order to play an active role in improving air quality. The survey and the study will be made available to cities and municipalities in the Moravian-Silesian Region for use in planning strategic documents and specific activities targeting improvements in air quality.
Air quality
