The Impact of Air Pollution on Consumer Spending⁠ (Kim & Trusov, 2025)

Welcome to "Revise and Resubmit", the podcast where we dig into cutting-edge research that changes how we understand the world. Today, we’re unpacking a fascinating study that connects two seemingly unrelated forces: air pollution and consumer spending. The paper, titled "The Impact of Air Pollution on Consumer Spending", is authored by Sanghwa Kim and Michael Trusov and published in the prestigious Journal of Marketing, an FT50 journal. Picture this: The air quality index spikes, signaling a smog-filled day. Most of us would think about staying indoors or wearing a mask. But what if I told you that poor air quality might also nudge us to spend more, especially on things like entertainment or leisure activities? This study dives deep into data from South Korea, showing that consumers treat spending as a form of mood therapy in response to the negative emotions caused by air pollution. And it’s not just a correlation—the authors backed it up with controlled experiments. We’ll explore how this research sheds light on the surprising behavioral effects of environmental change and why it matters for marketers and policymakers alike. A huge thank you to Sanghwa Kim, Michael Trusov, and SAGE Publishing for this groundbreaking work. Make sure to subscribe to "Revise and Resubmit" on Spotify, and check out our YouTube channel, "Weekend Researcher". You can also find us on Amazon Prime and Apple Podcasts. So here’s the question: If poor air quality makes us spend more, could businesses—and even governments—leverage this insight to drive action for both profits and sustainability? Reference Kim, S., & Trusov, M. (2025). The Impact of Air Pollution on Consumer Spending. Journal of Marketing, ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429241282998 Youtube Channel ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@weekendresearcher⁠ Support us on Patreon https://patreon.com/weekendresearcher