Research on the influence of haze pollution on Chinese residents' happiness based on Baidu Index data

Clarifying the impact of haze pollution on residents' happiness has great theoretical and practical significance for improving the status quo of air pollution and protecting residents' physical and mental health. With the development of web media, it is more convenient for the public to express their dissatisfaction with pollution through the Internet. This paper innovatively uses Baidu Index to measure residents' happiness index. Based on the daily panel data of 238 cities at prefecture level and above in 2018, the effects of haze pollution on residents' happiness were analyzed using fixed effect and 2SLS method. The research results indicate that (1) there is an inverted U-shaped curve relationship between haze pollution and residents' happiness; (2) haze pollution has an impact on residents' happiness through the transmission mechanism of economic development; (3) haze pollution affects only east residents' happiness; the effect in middle and west is insignificant. According to the research conclusions, this paper suggests strengthening environmental protection, optimizing the cadre performance evaluation system, paying attention to vulnerable groups and groups with low happiness, and formulating a series of policies to reduce smog according to local conditions.