Beijingers care more about environment after Olympics: poll

Drinking water and air quality are the top two environmental concerns for people in the former Olympics host city of Beijing, according to the results of a government poll released Monday.

Zhang Baosen, an official with the Beijing Bureau of Environmental Protection, said 71.8 percent of the 1,320 Beijingers polled listed drinking water as one of their top concerns, and 67.4 percent listed air quality as another.

The poll suggested 83.3 percent of the Beijing residents were more environmentally conscious since the 2008 Olympics.

He said the door-to-door polling was used for the bureau's policy consultation.

"We've found the top environmental concerns are the quality of drinking water, air quality, environmental hygiene, energy-saving and noise control," said Zhang, also head of the bureau's environmental education center.

More than 90 percent of respondents said they wanted more environmental protection knowledge, while only 23.3 percent had the experience of taking part in environmental activities. But 80 percent said they were willing to participate in such activities.

Source: Xinhua