Glasgow has some of the worst air quality levels in Scotland
While health and air quality are strongly correlated, and health and income are closely related, the relationship between air quality and income is more complex. Commonly, we think of air quality and income being directly related in cities, with worse air quality affecting neighbourhoods with lower income. While there is some evidence that this is the case in Glasgow, this is generally not the case for other cities across the UK – in most urban areas, both high and low-income neighbourhoods experience poorer air quality compared to middle-income neighbourhoods, which are generally more removed from both popular city centre areas and industrial areas. This relationship varies from city-to-city, so examining environmental inequalities related to air pollution should be considered on a case-by-case basis.