Stop Smog – the survey on Warsaw citizens’ awareness regarding the influence of transport means on the environment.

Science Reporter’s Activities

Stop smog, a research on the awareness of Warsaw residents of the environmental impact of transportation means.

Are residents of the Warsaw metropolitan area aware of the threat of smog?
Are they able to change their habits for the benefit of the community?
In order to take action to reduce the threat of smog, it is necessary to have the essential knowledge about it. Only then we can be motivated to act and make rational decisions. Acquiring knowledge is more effective if it is based on hands-on activities.
In the 2021/22 school year, we conducted a survey to determine the state of knowledge of residents of the Warsaw metropolitan area about smog hazards, awareness of these hazards and willingness to take action to reduce this threat. 554 people took part in the survey. Seventy percent were found to be familiar with basic smog issues, and 50% declared a willingness to alter their behavior to reduce pollution. There was an advertising campaign at school ( in the form of posters), and the project participants took part in a series of workshops at the Sociotherapy Laboratory, webinars of the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, during which they gained the necessary knowledge to create a educational game on their own. At the same time, they took atmospheric measurements using the school’s purchased weather station, and compared them with publicly available data from websites: http://powietrze.gios.gov.pl/pjp/current; https://wip.um.warszawa.pl/index.html. Traffic load measurements were also carried out on Washington Avenue (measurements from May 1 to 20, 2022, in 10-minute cycles in the morning, at midday and in the evening). The Pilot Study Game was conducted several times, modifying various elements, from April to September 2022. It included a wide variety of groups (e.g., students of our school, scout teams, candidates for our school, informal peer groups).
On the 3rd of June, a meeting was held between project participants and stakeholders, students and parents. During the event, 6 rounds of the game “Stop smog” were played. The game was very highly appreciated by both participants and stakeholders, as well as teachers, who declared to use the game during school time.

Project Outcomes

We managed to create a didactic game “Stop smog” , which introduces participants to the issues of atmospheric pollution, allows to simulate the actions taken by residents, encourages reflection, and at the same time teaches through play.