The Pollution Solution: US Urbanites Flee Cities for Cleaner Air and Improved Mental Health
April 30 2019 - 9:12AM
Business Wire
US homebuyers are fleeing cities due to growing
concerns around pollution and mental health, according to new
research from HSBC
HSBC’s annual Beyond the Bricks survey revealed that one in five
(20 percent) people who moved out of the city this year did so to
escape the impact of pollution on their wellbeing. Environmental
factors had more influence on their decision to move than the
desire to start a family (15 percent) or to be closer to a partner
(15 percent).
This comes after the latest air quality data report released by
the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that only 20 percent
of the global urban population live in cities that meet WHO air
quality guidelines (PM2.5).1 In fact, the New York City Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene estimates that each year, PM2.5
pollution causes more than 3,000 deaths, 2,000 hospital admissions
for lung and heart conditions, and approximately 6,000 emergency
department visits for asthma in children and adults.2
“A city like New York is both attractive and problematic to
young families,” said Saskia Sassen, The Robert S. Lynd Professor
of Sociology at Columbia University and expert in international
human migration. “It offers multiple attractions for entertaining
both children and adults, but, as with most US cities, urban life
comes with high costs of living, traffic congestion and exposure to
potentially harmful chemicals and pollutants. Because of this, we
are seeing more families leave New York City for the Tri-State
suburbs in search of cleaner and better quality air.”
Mental health is another major wellness trend driving movement.
In fact, one in four people (25 percent) are expected to experience
mental health problems in their lifetime3 and the risk is even
higher for city dwellers, who are 21 percent more likely to develop
an anxiety disorder. It’s no surprise that 20 percent of US survey
respondents said the potential for improved mental health in the
suburbs influenced their decision to escape to the country.
Technology has also played an important role in people’s ability
to move outside city centers. The rise of flexible working has
greatly impacted the decision to move — in fact, more than one in
ten (11 percent) urbanites said this was the main reason they
decided to leave the city, followed closely by improved public
transportation like trains and buses (10 percent) which allow for
an easy commute.
Overall, the number of people who moved out of US cities last
year increased by 7 percent. The only other country that had this
much movement was France (10 percent).
“Choosing where to live is a very personal choice. We’ve noticed
that health has become an important factor for some people when
deciding where to buy a home,” said Raman Muralidharan, Head of US
Mortgage for HSBC’s Retail Banking and Wealth Management business.
“A number of families seem to prefer buying a house in the suburbs
rather than renting a small apartment in a city. They want more
space, but also cleaner air and a calmer mind.”
Survey Methodology
Beyond the Bricks Survey research was carried out by Toluna on
behalf of HSBC through an online survey. The total sample size was
11,932 adults aged 21+ across the globe. Fieldwork was undertaken
between November 11th to December 5th 2018. The figures have been
weighted and are representative of all adults in 10 markets:
Australia, UK, Canada, USA, Mexico, France, United Arab Emirates,
Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.
HSBC Bank USA, National Association (HSBC Bank USA, N.A.)
serves customers through retail banking and wealth management,
commercial banking, private banking, and global banking and markets
segments. It operates bank branches in: California; Connecticut;
Washington, D.C.; Florida; Maryland; New Jersey; New York;
Pennsylvania; Virginia; and Washington. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is the
principal subsidiary of HSBC USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of
HSBC North America Holdings Inc. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is a Member of
FDIC. Investment and brokerage services are provided through HSBC
Securities (USA) Inc., (Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC) and insurance
products are provided through HSBC Insurance Agency (USA) Inc.
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group,
is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide
across 66 countries and territories in Europe, Asia, North and
Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of
US$2,558bn at 31 December 2018, HSBC is one of the world’s largest
banking and financial services organizations.
1
https://www.who.int/sustainable-development/cities/health-risks/air-pollution/en/2
https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/eode/eode-air-quality-impact.pdf3
https://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005635/en/
HSBC Media:Matt Klein +1 212 525 4644
matt.klein@us.hsbc.comCarolyn Hamm +1 212 525 0720
carolyn.hamm@us.hsbc.com
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