## 5 Discussion and Conclusions
This study found distrust of and uncertainty about PM information to be largely unrecognized as causes of apathy; on the contrary, understanding PM saturation to be externally produced was the main reason for inaction. If external factors are emphasized as the cause of the problem, it is possible that individuals perceive the risk as uncontrollable, which may nullify their will to respond. The results of this study also suggest that residents' psychological barriers have a negative effect on their response behaviors for the reduction of PM. Fourth, the results of the correlation analysis show that the most influential factor in PM-related behavior was psychological attributes but that physical symptoms also affect response behaviors to PM. This result is meaningful in that it indicates desirable directions for PM policy. Based on the analysis of psychological factors, it was found that, because PM is also produced by individuals, active prevention is likely to occur if the importance of personal responses is conveyed. While knowledge of PM was not found to significantly affect response behaviors, residents in Seoul showed an average score of 6.56 out of 10 for PM knowledge. Lack of knowledge and understanding of the PM problem hinders appropriate response behavior. It is necessary to provide accurate and correct PM education and continuously available reliable information to enhance the knowledge of PM. In addition,  
There was significant variation in residents' perceptions, response behaviors and psychological attributes concerning PM based on gender and age. Conversely, the time during which residents undertook external activities exposed to PM did not significantly affect PM-related symptoms or behavior. In contrast to college students in their twenties and male workers in their thirties and forties who remained outdoors for 5 h on average, women in their thirties and forties who stayed outdoors for only 3 h on average responded more sensitively to PM-related symptoms and their commitment to PM reduction and mitigating actions was much greater. Similarly, the results of the psychological factor analysis for PM showed that the group of women in their thirties and forties were more aware of the risks than the other groups and felt those risks to be closer psychologically. However, it is the younger generations who will become the subjects of society in future and will need to face these problems and solve them. There is an urgent need for plans to increase awareness of the risks and the will of the public to act. Government efforts to reduce PM have focused primarily on expensive communication campaigns. However, the results of this study suggest that the mere encouragement of attitudinal change is not effective; public engagement in terms of accurate PM knowledge, health education and the study of various personal characteristics and psychological causes is required. This study identified residents' thoughts, response behaviors and psychological factors relating to PM and showed that personal characteristics, cognition and emotions affect behavioral intentions. Unlike previous studies, the significance of this research is that it seeks to understand residents' behaviors in a multidimensional way. Psychological factors are expected to be used effectively to motivate individuals to protect themselves from the risks of PM exposure. The residents of Seoul involved in this study were well aware of the risks of PM but felt that its generation and any possible solutions were external and therefore beyond their control. This situation is likely to prevent public action to protect individuals and the society. It is recommended that we shift our focus from risk and attention to participation and action. It is expected that a proper direction for efficient PM reduction can be established using these results. Conceptualization, M.E.C. and M.J.K. ; methodology, M.E.C. and M.J.K. ; formal analysis, M.E.C. ; investigation, M.E.C. ; data curation, M.J.K. ; writing--original draft preparation, M.E.C.