Report shows over half of people are worried about air quality impacting their health

Today, Dyson launched their ‘Air Purity Pulse Check’ report which delves into the views of the public and business leaders on the problem of indoor air pollution.  

Within the report, of which the surveys where conducted in March 2023, Dyson found that over half of the people polled are concerned about poor air quality impacting their health, yet, in a shocking turn of events, only 59% of people believe their homes to have good air quality.

In addition, experts also discovered that 48% of people believe indoor air quality is more important than outdoor – 54% of people aged between 25-34-years old were reported to be worried about it with 51% of people between the ages of 35-44-years old saying it concerns them more than outside air quality.

Against this backdrop, a study by Imperial College London found that 97% of UK homes exceed at least one of the World Health Organisation’s limits on three key air pollutants. As a result, people have begun taking steps to improve air quality in their homes, with 70% of people saying they have invested in air purifiers.

‘Despite indoor air quality being much more prevalent in our lives, people are far more aware of the impacts of poor outdoor air quality,’ said Tim Jones, lead research engineer at Dyson. ‘At Dyson, we believe that it’s time to make the invisible visible and the Air Purity Pulse Check report aims to do exactly this.’

Tim added: ‘The past five years have changed our relationship with air quality, as we spend the majority of our time indoors. In particular, the public r has been made much more aware of the air circulating in their indoor spaces, whether in a shared or private space. Despite its importance, indoor air pollution is largely invisible so has flown under the radar. This in-depth study illustrates the current views and opinions of the public and business owners, creating a ‘pulse check’ on the nation when it comes to indoor air quality.’

In the report produced by Dyson, which can be found in full here, experts further highlighted the concerns people have about air quality in certain areas. These include the workplace, hospitality, gyms and spas, the education sector and in healthcare – here Dyson reported that 94% of the people polled said air quality was a growing concern for them.

At the end of their research, although Dyson found that people/places are taking the right steps to improve indoor air quality levels, the organisation claimed that there is still a long way to go.

Image: Dyson and engin akyurt