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The perception of air quality significantly affects the acceptance of the public of the government’s environmental policies. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between the perception of the air quality of parents and scientific monitoring data and to analyze the factors that affect parents’ perceptions. Scientific data of air quality were obtained from Wuhan’s environmental condition reports. One thousand parents were investigated for their knowledge and perception of air quality. Scientific data show that the air quality of Wuhan follows an improving trend in general, while most participants believed that the air quality of Wuhan has deteriorated, which indicates a significant difference between public perception and reality. On the individual level, respondents with an age of 40 or above (40 or above: OR = 3.252; 95% CI: 1.170–9.040), a higher educational level (college and above: OR = 7.598; 95% CI: 2.244–25.732) or children with poor healthy conditions (poor: OR = 6.864; 95% CI: 2.212–21.302) have much more negative perception of air quality. On the community level, industrial facilities, vehicles and city construction have major effects on parents’ perception of air quality. Our investigation provides baseline information for environmental policy researchers and makers regarding the public’s perception and expectation of air quality and the benefits to the environmental policy completing and enforcing.

Objective: To understand parents' propensity to migrate and willingness to pay with respect to outdoor air pollution, and to explore related affecting factors.Methods: This study used a convenience sample and subjects were collected from a community in Wuchang District and Children's Hospital of Wuhan, respectively. A designed questionnaire was used for this study. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were applied to analyze the relationship between parents' individual and familial characteristics and related behavioral intensions to air quality improvement. Statistical analysis was done with SAS 9.1.Results: The questionnaire was completed by 865 subjects (response rate = 86.5%). The number of people with migrant intent was 150(36.4%) from hospital group, and 139(30.7%) from community group. In the hospital group, subjects with higher knowledge of air quality (OR = 6.268, p < 0.05) and higher average annual household income (AAHI), which was equal or more than 50,000 Yuan (OR = 2.045, p < 0.01), were found to be more intent to migrate. AAHI (OR = 1.939, p < 0.05) was also the affecting factor in the community group correspondingly. Those willing to pay for air quality improvement included 297 people (72.1%) from the hospital group and 333 people (73.5%) from the community group, and affecting factors was the public responsibility for air quality improvement (hospital group: OR = 3.380, p < 0.01; community group: OR = 4.436, p < 0.01).Conclusions: This study indicated high tendency of propensity to migrate for avoiding poor air condition and willingness to pay to improve air quality in Wuhan. Local governments should pay more attention to parents' knowledge of air pollution and attitudes towards government management of air quality, especially those willing to migrate.