Pembangunan di Indonesia terus berlangsung dari Pelita ke Pelita, sesuai dengan kemajuan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi. Di samping manfaat yang diperoleh dari pembangunan berbagai industri, bagi kesejahteraan masyarakat, risiko yang ditimbulkan berupa dampak atau pencemaran lingkungan pada air, tanah dan udara sangat mengganggu, bahkan merusak lingkungan hidup. Lebih jauh, akibat pencemaran industri atau pabrik dapat merugikan kesehatan manusia dalam bentuk gangguan kesehatan sebagai akibat dampak udara yang tidak sehat, seperti radang, saluran pernapasan, gangguan pada mata, kulit, dan sebagainya.Namun dalam upaya menghadapi dampak pencemaran lingkungan dalam hal ini pencemaran udara, perilaku manusia dipengaruhi oleh persepsinya terhadap lingkungannya. Dalam hal ini persepsi masyarakat menjadi penting karena merupakan langkah awal dalam mencari strategi dan upaya-upaya pengelolaan lingkungan hidup. Sebagai langkah dini, penelitian ini dilaksanakan dengan memakai pendekatan-pendekatan kualitatif melalui wawancara (interview), Focus Group Discussion (FGD) untuk memutuskan variabel-variabel yang secara kolektif akan menggambarkan profit sosial ekonomi-budaya penduduk seperti: umur, status sosial ekonomi, pendidikan, jarak dengan sumber pencemaran, adat istiadat/kebiasaan, kelembagaan sosial, lama tinggal.Kecamatan Palimanan terdiri atas 18 desa. Dari 18 Desa tersebut, ditentukan desa Palimanan Barat sebagai lokasi penelitian. Desa Palimanan Barat, yang terdiri dari 15 dusun, dipilih atas dasar pertimbangan bahwa desa tersebut paling memenuhi kriteria sebagai lokasi penelitian, karena keberadaan pabrik-pabrik kapur, semen dan peleburan aki bekas, yang diperkirakan sebagai penyebab utama pencemaran udara.Jumlah responden semula adalah 170, yaitu 2,1% darijumlah populasi desa, sebanyak 8192 KK. Responden adalah kepala keluarga atau anggota keluarga, dipilih secara \Dari 170 Kuesioner, ternyata sebanyak 24 (0,3%) kuesioner cacat, sehingga tak dapat diolah. Karena itu analisis data didasarkan atas 146 kuesioner (1.8%). Pengertian persepsi terhadap lingkungan adalah bagaimana individu memandang dan memahami lingkungannya, persepsi terbentuk karena proses penerimaan sejumlah sensasi melalui bekerjanya sistem saraf, sehingga kita dapat mengenal dan menyusun suatu pola.Latar belakang masyarakat seperti lama tinggal, umur, pendidikan dan kemampuan ekonomi ikut menentukan persepsi. Hasil analisis data menunjukkan bahwa umumnya masyarakat mempersepsikan lingkungannya semakin kotor, namun mereka tak mempunyai daya upaya untuk menghindar dari kejadian pencemaran udara lebih jauh mereka berperilaku acuh tak acuh, dan bahkan cenderung pasrah.Lingkungan yang dipersepsikan sebagai di luar batas-batas toleransi individu menimbulkan stress dan individu yang bersangkutan akan berusaha melakukan penyesuaian diri (coping) dan beradaptasi.Hipotesis yang diajukan dalam penelitian ini adalah :-Ada hubungan antara persepsi tentang pencemaran udara dengan perilaku penduduk terhadap kondisi lingkungan hidupnya dengan alternatif tidak ada hubungan.Perbedaan persepsi terhadap pencemaran udara yang disebabkan oleh pabrik kapur dan pabrik semen serta peleburan aki bekas, dipengaruhi oleh faktor-faktor sosial ekonomi, seperti mata pencaharian dan kesempatan kerja, serta jarak tempat tinggal dengan keberadaan pabrik.

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The national development goes on from one to further stages of Repelita, in line with the development of science and technology. Beside the many positive yields gained from various industrial developments in the frame of increasing people's welfare, various risks stemming from the activities in the form of land, water and air pollutions are in fact very disturbing, even degrading the quality of the living environment. Previous observations revealed that industrial plants pollutions are increasingly giving adverse impact on human health in the form of physical disturbances resulting from foul and dirty air such as bronchitis, eye irritation, throat ache, skin allergy, etc.

In practice, in his efforts to face environmental pollution, in this respect air pollution, human behavior is mainly influenced by his own perception on his environment. Hence people's perception is very important to be dealt with, as it serves as a critical step in the finding of strategy and efforts in the field of environmental management.

In the first step, a preliminary survey was carried out using qualitative approach, visualizing focus group discussion and interview, in order to determine certain variables which will collectively give people's socio-economic profile such as age, economic status, education, distance from pollution sources, custom/tradition, local institutions, and length of stay.

The second step of the research was carried out through primary data collection through interviews with the help of questionnaires and depth interviews with selected resource persons, supported by observation. Relevant secondary data were obtained at the level of district, Sub-district, village, and sub-village.

The sub-district of Palimanan constitutes of 18 villages. Out of the 18 villages, the West Palimanan was purposively selected as area of study. This village, consisting of 15 sub-villages was selected on the basis that it meets the criteria of research area, i.e. the existences of limestone?s quarries and plants, cement plants, and used batteries melting plants, which were assumed as the major sources of the local air pollution. A number of 170 respondents, consisting of head and member of households were proportionally and randomly selected out of the whole population of the 15 sub-villages. But post to questionnaires selection, it was found out that 24 questionnaires were invalid to be included in the data procession, so that data analysis was carried out based on 146 questionnaires.

The whole research was guided by a single hypothesis: there is correlation between people's perception on air pollution with their attitude and behavior toward their environment, with alternative no correlation.

Theoretically, man's perception on his environment refers to how he views and understands his environment. Perception is then built through the process of receipt of a number of sensations by the operation of the nerves system, enabling him identifies and constructs a certain pattern. People's distinguished background such as age, education, culture, length of stay, and economic capacity help his perception construction.

Data analysis collectively revealed that in general people perceive that their air environment has been increasingly polluted with the existence of the above-mentioned industrial activities. Nevertheless they show no further efforts to stay away from the pollution events, many of them even tend to succumb themselves to the situation. Environmental air pollution, which is perceived as beyond the limits of individual tolerance, accumulatively create stresses, and as has been proved in the research, people voluntarily cope with and adapt himself to the situation.

Different perception on air pollution events generated by the limestone?s and cement plants and the used batteries melting plants were proved to have been influenced by socio-economic factors such as occupation, employment opportunities and access to employment, length of stay, distance from the plants. In the context of environmental management, it was concluded that efforts to overcome and manage the situation can be approached from the aspects of spatial and land use planning, community participation, strict law enforcement, and regional/local institutions.