The Role of Social Media in Raising Awareness About Government Initiatives for Smog Mitigation

Abstract

The aggravation of smog pollution in Lahore, Pakistan, presents a critical challenge to public health and environmental sustainability. Traditional approaches to mitigate smog have yielded limited success, necessitating innovative strategies. Pakistan, ranked fifth among the most affected countries by climate change, contributes only 0.3% of global emissions yet suffers disproportionately from climate adversities, including severe smog conditions. Lahore has consistently topped the list of the world's most polluted cities in 2021, 2022, and 2023.This research investigates the role of social media in fostering awareness of government initiatives aimed at smog mitigation among youth aged 18-24 in Lahore. Using a purposive sampling technique targeting 200 social media users, a quantitative research design and survey method were employed. The study integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to understand how social media shapes perceptions concerning smog mitigation initiatives. The findings reveal that frequent social media use explains 18.8% of the variation in awareness and significantly influences youth perceptions (58.4%) towards combating smog, with higher engagement among men. The hypothesis regarding the significant contribution of social media to creating awareness about government initiatives in smog mitigation campaigns in Lahore is supported. The research highlights social media's crucial role in environmental advocacy and offers insights for policymakers and campaign designers. Future research should include broader demographics, longitudinal studies, and qualitative methods to further explore social media's impact on environmental issues.