The spatial impacts of air pollution and socio-economic status on public health: Empirical evidence from China

The impact of air pollution or socio-economic status on public health is a lively topic for social economists and environmental researchers across the world. Despite a lot of research, there is still a lack of clear understanding of the spatial heterogeneous impacts related to public health. In this study, we use the spatial econometric model with panel data to investigate the direct and interactive effects of air pollution and socio-economic status on public health and further explore the regional heterogeneity among different regions. The research results show that there is strong spatial agglomeration in air pollution, socio-economic status, and public health. Aggravation of air pollution significantly damages local public health status, leading to increased infant mortality rate and lower average life expectancy. Aggravated air pollution in one province significantly increases infant mortality in neighboring provinces. The increase in per capita income significantly leads to a significant positive effect on public health. As air pollution continues to increase, the impact of per capita income on improving public health has diminished gradually. Improving the level of education per capita significantly improves public health. As per capita education level increases, the impact of increased air pollution on public health damage has diminished gradually. The effects of air pollution and socio-economic status on infant mortality in the eastern, central, and western regions are heterogeneous.