Page 125 - IJPS-11-4

International Journal of

Population Studies

REPORT
Problems and perspectives on environmental

component of quality of life: A case study from
the Carpathian region of Ukraine

2
Olha Ryndzak 1 , Lilia Ukrainets 2 , and Iryna Gerlach *
1 Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Department, The Representative Office of the Norwegian
Refugee Council in Ukraine, Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine
2 Department of International Economic Relations, Faculty of International Relations, Ivan Franko
National University of Lviv, Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine

Abstract

Quality of life is a complex and multidimensional concept that reflects the level of
*Corresponding author:
Iryna Gerlach development across various spheres of society. This paper focuses on one of the
(iryna.yeleyko@lnu.edu.ua) most important yet underdeveloped aspects. The study aims to assess the impact of
Citation: Ryndzak, O., Ukrainets, environmental components on the quality of life in the Carpathian region of Ukraine
L., & Gerlach, I. (2025). Problems and to present the authors’ approach to improving it. Multiple regression analysis was
and perspectives on environmental conducted using annual statistical data on mortality rates, air, and water pollutants,
component of quality of life: A case
study from the Carpathian region gross regional product per capita, and foreign direct investment in the Carpathian
of Ukraine. International Journal of region of Ukraine from 2001 to 2020. The analysis showed a direct negative impact of
Population Studies, 11(4): 119-134. water and air pollution on the mortality rate in the region. The study also noted that
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4487
foreign investment can sometimes increase mortality, indicating that the Carpathian
Received: August 9, 2024 region may act as a “haven for polluters” for foreign investors, which requires further
1st revised: August 28, 2024 detailed studies. The Carpathian Eco-Way Strategy was developed to address the
region’s most urgent ecological issues. It focuses on restoring natural capital, ensuring
2nd revised: October 25, 2024
environmental cleanliness, transitioning to a green economy, and promoting
3rd revised: November 20, 2024 environmentally efficient behavior among residents, visitors, and businesses. The
4th revised: December 16, 2024 study presents a model of environmentally efficient behavior that illustrates the
interaction between legal and informational mechanisms and individual socio-
5th revised: December 26, 2024
psychological characteristics. Such behavior involves an active component and
6th revised: January 9, 2025 aims to preserve and improve the environment. The Eco-Way Strategy and model
7th revised: January 13, 2025 for environmentally efficient behavior development presented in the article are not
only applicable to the Carpathian region of Ukraine; they can also be used as a basis
Accepted: March 3, 2025
for state policy development tools to solve environmental problems in other regions
Published online: March 27, 2025 or countries. The authors’ methodological approach can serve as the framework for
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). further studies in this field.
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Keywords: Environment; Quality of life; Pollution; Carpathian region
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience 1. Introduction
Publishing remains neutral with Quality of life is a key indicator of the social and economic development of countries
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional and regions. Enhancing quality of life has become a primary goal of international
affiliations. development. However, economic growth is often achieved at the expense of natural

Volume 11 Issue 4 (2025) 119 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4487