Abstract：People's longing for a better life is not only a matter of material needs， but also the quality of the ecological environment. As the public's awareness of environmental protection has increased， its demand for a better ecological environment has become stronger. So does the public demand for the environment promote the improvement of the quality of the ecological environment？ Based on the provincial panel data from 2003 to 2017， this article incorporates the public environmental appeal and environmental quality improvement into the “trigger factor-action mechanism-action effect” analysis framework， demonstrating that there is an inverted “U” relationship between public environmental claims and environmental pollution. Based on the heterogeneity analysis， it is concluded that the effect is not significant in China's underdeveloped western and northeastern regions. Through further mechanism analysis， it was found that public environmental appeal can reduce environmental pollution through government governance， technological innovation and industrial structure upgrade. This article proposes countermeasures such as enhancing public awareness of environmental protection， improving the disclosure of environmental information， improving public information feedback mechanisms， increasing government environmental governance investment， promoting technological innovation， and promoting industrial structure adjustment and upgrading.
2020, Vol. 54 
