Risk Perceptions of Air Pollution and Climate Anxiety in Residents of High Andean Urban Hillsides: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis

Risk perception regarding air pollution in Andean urban environments poses significant challenges to psychological well-being, highlighting the emergence of climate anxiety. Despite this, evidence on how cognitive appraisals of environmental and health risks predict this distress in vulnerable communities remains scarce. This study analyzed the explanatory capacity of environmental risk perceptions and perceived health effects on the variance of climate anxiety among residents of hillside communities in an Andean region of Peru. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, and analytical design, 205 participants selected by quota sampling were assessed. Validated scales were applied to measure risk perception (individual and social), perceived health effects, climate anxiety, and sociodemographic factors. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that individual risk perception, perceived symptoms and discomfort, as well as health concerns and the adoption of preventive measures, exhibited positive and statistically significant associations with climate anxiety, demonstrating greater explanatory power than sociodemographic variables. The final model explained 34.3% of the variance in climate anxiety (R2 = 0.343; adjusted R2 = 0.316), representing a moderate explanatory capacity. Furthermore, significant differences were identified based on gender, educational level, and type of residence (native vs. migrant). It is concluded that climate anxiety in vulnerable urban communities is not an abstract concern, but rather an internalized emotional response. This distress is intensified by immediate somatic experience, the proximal interpretation of atmospheric threats, and the subjective experience of risk at the individual level.