世論 What Japan Thinks

Actually, this survey would be more accurately headlined “Nuclear power last year and 9 years hence” as it was conducted last September, well before everything went all pear-shaped in Fukushima. The official title for this survey from Central Research Service Inc was the environment and energy problems.

Demographics

At some point in September 2010, 3,000 people over the age of twenty selected at random from the Kansai prefectures of Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama and Shiga and 1,500 people from Fukui prefecture (where all Kansai’s nuclear reactors are situated) were sent a survey by post. 1,082 people from Kansai (36%) and 569 (38%) from Fukui returned the completed survey. A breakdown by age and sex was not reported.

I’ve previously reported on a similar survey by the same company into nuclear power in Kansai, which may serve as a useful cross-reference.

Research results

Q1: How interested are you in global environmental issues? (Sample size=1,651)

	Kansai N=1,082	Fukui N=569
Interested	67%	61%
Can’t say	1%	2%
Not interested	33%	37%

Furthermore, men were slightly more interested than women, and while only 45% or so of those in their twenties were interested, 70% of the over sixties were.

Q2: How do you see the global warming issue in ten years time? (Sample size=1,651)

	Kansai N=1,082	Fukui N=569
Worse than now	61%	58%
About the same as now	23%	24%
Better than now	8%	9%
Don’t know	9%	9%

Women were more pessimistic, and almost three-quarters of those in their twenties were too, whereas about 55% of those sixty or over were.

Q3: How interested are you in energy issues? (Sample size=1,651)

	Kansai N=1,082	Fukui N=569
Interested	71%	69%
Can’t say	3%	3%
Not interested	27%	29%

Over 10 percentage points more men than women were interested, and about 20 percentage points more retired people than those in their twenties were.

Q4: What do you think bears the main burden of electricity generation in Japan today? (Sample size=1,651)

	Kansai N=1,082	Fukui N=569
Oil	34%	39%
Hydro	5%	6%
Nuclear	47%	42%
Commercial solar	2%	1%
Domestic solar	0%	0%
Coal	1%	4%
Natural gas	2%	1%
Fuel cells	0%	0%
Geothermal	0%	0%
Wind power	0%	0%
Other	0%	0%
Don’t know	9%	8%

Q5: What do you think will bear the main burden of electricity generation in Japan in ten years time? (Sample size=1,651)

	Kansai N=1,082	Fukui N=569
Oil	3%	3%
Hydro	1%	2%
Nuclear	42%	51%
Commercial solar	25%	18%
Domestic solar	7%	7%
Coal	0%	0%
Natural gas	2%	2%
Fuel cells	2%	2%
Geothermal	0%	0%
Wind power	1%	1%
Other	1%	1%
Don’t know	16%	14%

In the main Kansai area, 51% of males but only 35% of females reckoned nuclear power would be the mainstay in ten years time. For commercial solar the figures were 21% versus 28%. Across all the age groups too, nuclear led solar. However, in Fukui 63% of those in their thirties chose nuclear versus just 9% for commercial solar, although the reason for this is not described.

Q6: How interested are you in nuclear power generation? (Sample size=1,651)

	Kansai N=1,082	Fukui N=569
Interested	66%	78%
Can’t say	1%	2%
Not interested	33%	20%

Interest in nuclear power was much higher for men and for older people.