世論 What Japan Thinks

With yesterday’s G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit survey showing that most people were hoping to see something done about global warming, this survey from MyVoice on the environment explorers these green issues a bit further.

Demographics

Over the first five days of June 2008 13,867 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 20% in their forties, and 16% in their fifties.

I’ve noticed recently that The Register is publishing a number of sceptical articles about the whole global warming business. It’s well-researched (I hope!) stuff, with two recent articles looking at why wind power is maybe not that great and is the North Pole being ice-free really that much of an issue? It’s well worth a read, and not the usual anti-Gore nonsense one often sees.

Research results

Q1: How much of a sense of crisis do you feel regarding global warming? (Sample size=13,867)

Extreme sense of crisis	31.0%
In the near future will feel a sense of crisis	57.4%
Not much of a sense of crisis	9.8%
No sense of crisis at all	1.7%

Q2: Do you know about Carbon Offset? (Sample size=13,867)

Know about it (to SQs)	20.3%
Just heard the term (to SQs)	36.4%
Don’t know it	43.3%

Q2SQ1: Who do you think should be the main actor to tackle carbon offset? (Sample size=13,867)

Individuals	5.8%
Corporations	18.7%
Individuals and corporations together	53.1%
Country	18.5%
Don’t know	3.4%
No answer	0.5%

Q2SQ2: How do you rate companies that tackle carbon offset? (Sample size=13,867)

Rate them highly	48.2%
Rate them a little	43.6%
Don’t particularly rate them	6.3%
Think it is a minus point instead	1.3%
No answer	0.6%

Q3: Which of the following do you expect from measures to halt global warming? (Sample size=13,867, multiple answer)

Solar power and other forms of natural energy become standard in homes	70.7%
Development and adoption of battery-powered and other non-hydrocarbon fuels for cars	62.8%
Everyone individually refuses carrier bags, adopts Cool Biz, saves electricity, etc	61.2%
Carbon offset schemes become standard	24.8%
Environmental taxes are introduced	14.1%
Other	5.3%
Don’t have expectations for any preventative methods	2.5%
Don’t know	6.3%

Q4: Which of the following do you conciously do for ecological reasons? (Sample size=13,867, multiple answer)

Be sure to turn power off to devices, other electricity-saving tactics	70.5%
Be sure to turn taps off, other water-saving tactics	64.3%
Where possible refuse carrier bags and other unnecessary wrapping	60.7%
Turn down the cooler settings	60.2%
Take Cool Biz to heart	35.9%
Use public transport, bicycles, etc	35.1%
Select electrical items with low power consumption	34.6%
Take Warm Biz to heart	30.7%
Stop idling at traffic lights, when parked	19.0%
Select products from companies that address environmental issues	13.9%
Gather information about environmental problems	12.8%
Choose a car with low CO2 emissions	11.9%
Don’t own a car	8.5%
Participate in events about environmental issues	3.7%
Invest in companies that address environmental problems	2.9%
Other	3.0%
Nothing in particular	7.6%
No answer	0.1%

Q5: What colour do you think expresses ecology? (Sample size=13,867)

Green (Japanese)	47.1%
Blue	11.1%
Aqua blue	10.5%
White	9.8%
Greenish-yellow (of meadows, etc)	7.1%
Colourless and transparent	1.5%
Light aqua blue	1.4%
Light blue	0.9%
Ivory	0.6%
Off white	0.5%
Beige	0.5%
Orange	0.4%
Yellow	0.3%
Green (Western)	0.3%
Black	0.1%
Grey	0.1%
Brown	0.1%
Pink	0.0%
Dark brown	0.0%
Navy blue	0.0%
Other	0l.3%
No colour expresses eco	7.5%

The Japanese green is represented by the kanji for green, which apparently most often refers to greens from nature, whereas the Western green is represented by the loan word from English, and perhaps suggests an influence from loan words like “green energy”. Blue includes traffic light green, but the differences between light blue, aqua blue and light aqua blue escape me.