ASSESSMENT OF THE AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE CITIZENS OF LISICHE ON AIR POLLUTION ISSUES

The purpose of this research is to make an analysis of three pre-targeted levels i.e., target groups, which will be users, but also factors in the further operation of the project “Air pollution management in the city of Skopje” to solve the problem of air pollution in the country. The first target group in the first research are the traders who sell heating devices. The survey was conducted throughout the country. The second target group are the citizens of Lisice, settlement that is marked as a pilot zone of the project. Finally, the third target group are the civil society organizations in the country that operate in the area of air pollution on national level.
The results from the survey of the Rating Agency, i.e., research has created databases through which it will be possible to analyze many different aspects, cause-effect relationships and factors in the field of air pollution.
The negative effects on the health of the citizens from the air pollution as well as the causes of the pollution have been a central topic in the media during the winter months for many years. Citizens are already well informed and aware of the existence of the problem, as well as the health consequences of air pollution. Their anxiety is also high, but the consequences they feel for their own health are becoming more common. In this set of questions, the awareness and the consequences of the pollution among the citizens were measured, as well as their level of perception about the sources of the problem. According to the survey, a high 80,7% of respondents think that air pollution is a very big problem, while an additional 18% think it is a big problem.
Citizens believe that oil and coal are the biggest polluters and as energy they contribute the most to air pollution. In the graph below it can be seen that over 80% of the respondents assessed that they have a lot of influence or answered on a scale from 1 to 10 with 8, 9 or 10. What concerns is the perception of citizens that firewood is far more environmentally friendly energy and even 40% of the respondents said that it has no or very little effect on the pollution i.e., on a scale from 1 to 10, they answered with 1, 2 or 3. The least polluting energy is considered to be pellets, which 46% of the respondents said have little or no effect on the pollution.
From the data it can be concluded that the inhabitants of this settlement, due to the low standard are extremely influenced by the factor price of investment and financial benefits and conditions are only important when choosing whether and in what to invest.