The same sky, different urban and rural environmental treatment: analysis based on Chinese general social survey data

Exploring the disparities in urban and rural environmental governance can assist governmental bodies and policy makers in developing and executing more effective policies. This study utilizes data from the 2015 China General Social Survey and the Ologit methodology to investigate potential regional disparities in governance responses to corporate environmental pollution incidents as perceived by individuals. The findings are as follows: (1) There is a significant difference in the perceptions of urban and rural residents regarding the government's role in environmental governance. Compared to urban residents, rural residents are subjectively more inclined to believe that local authorities are slow to respond to environmental pollution issues. This conclusion holds true even after robustness and endogeneity tests are taken into account. (2) Mechanism testing reveals that the differences in urban and rural individuals' perceptions of environmental governance stem from the lower level of economic development in rural areas, the reduced participation of rural residents in key sectors, and their lesser involvement in political activities. (3) The moderating effect model reveals that perceived differences can be ameliorated through the improvement of the legal service environment and the quality of government governance. This study offers a micro-level theoretical framework for understanding urban–rural environmental governance.