Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds – The EnvironmentResults of 69th installment announced – Close to 90% concerned about climate change, more than half consider countermeasures to be ‘my generation’s’ responsibility

The 69th installment of the Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds, launched by The Nippon Foundation in October 2018, was carried out on March 14-17 to gauge young people’s awareness of the effects of the increasingly severe effects of climate change, how climate change should be addressed, and environmental initiatives.

Regarding the effects of climate change, more than half replied that their lives are currently affected by climate change, while close to 60% replied that they would be affected in the future, and of those respondents, close to 90% replied that they were “Concerned” about the future. In terms of society’s approach to date, a majority of respondents replied that society has either “Emphasized economic development only” or has “Emphasized economic development over the environment,” while less than 20% approved of the government’s response to climate change.

On the subject of which generation should take the lead in addressing climate change going forward, a majority replied “Today’s young people (my generation),” and close to 40% replied that there should be a balance in emphasis between economic development and environmental considerations.

When asked what they were doing on a regular basis with respect to environmental considerations, the top answer was “Not leaving food uneaten / When eating out, taking home uneaten food if the restaurant allows it,” followed by “Turning out the lights when no one is in the room,” “Bringing my own bag when going shopping,” and “Separating trash,” all cited by more than 40% of respondents. In addition, roughly 60% of respondents replied that when shopping for things like food and clothing, they would “Choose products and services that address environmental issues even if they are more expensive,” demonstrating that young people are taking a forward-looking approach to environmental issues.

Highlights of the 69th Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds – The Environment

Effect of climate change on my own daily life in the future

  • Yes – 57.5%
  • No – 8.5%
  • “Yes” is the total of “Very much” and “Somewhat,” and “No” is the total of “None at all” and “Not much.”

Degree of concern regarding effects of climate change

  • Concerned – 85.9%
  • Not concerned – 5.6%
  • “Concerned” is the total of “Feel strongly” and “Feel somewhat,” and “Not concerned” is the total of “Do not feel at all” and “Do not feel in particular.”

Generation responsible for addressing global warming

  • Today’s older generation – 8.0%
  • Today’s middle-aged generation – 20.0%
  • Today’s young people (my generation) – 53.2%
  • Today’s children – 17.1%
  • Others – 1.7%

Survey Excerpts

Degree of concern regarding effects of climate change (of respondents who replied “Very much” or “Somewhat” to the question “Will climate change affect your daily life in the future (during your lifetime)”)

Bar chart showing results from Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds: In response to the question, “Do you feel concerned about the effects of climate change (covering respondents who replied “Very much” or “Somewhat” to the question “Will climate change affect your daily life in the future (during your lifetime))?”, among all respondents (n = 575), 40.9% replied “Feel strongly,” 45.0% replied “Feel somewhat,” 8.2% replied “No opinion,” 4.0% replied “Do not feel in particular,” 1.6% replied “Do not feel at all,” and 0.3% replied “Don’t know.” Among male respondents (n = 311), 41.2% replied “Feel strongly,” 43.7% replied “Feel somewhat,” 10.3% replied “No opinion,” 3.5% replied “Do not feel in particular,” 1.3% replied “Do not feel at all,” and 0.0% replied “Don’t know.” Among female respondents (n = 264), 40.5% replied “Feel strongly,” 46.6% replied “Feel somewhat,” 5.7% replied “No opinion,” 4.5% replied “Do not feel in particular,” 1.9% replied “Do not feel at all,” and 0.8% replied “Don’t know.”
Degree of concern regarding effects of climate change (of respondents who replied “Very much” or “Somewhat” to the question “Will climate change affect your daily life in the future (during your lifetime)”)
  • The figure for male respondents replying “Don’t know” is 0.0%

Generation responsible for addressing global warming

Bar chart showing results from Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds: In response to the question, “Which generation should be responsible for addressing climate change?”, among all respondents (n = 1,000), 8.0% replied “Today’s older generation,” 20.0% replied “Today’s middle-aged generation,” 53.2% replied “Today’s young people (my generation),” 17.1% replied “Today’s children,” and 1.7% replied “Others.” Among male respondents (n = 513), 9.9% replied “Today’s older generation,” 18.3% replied “Today’s middle-aged generation,” 51.9% replied “Today’s young people (my generation),” 17.7% replied “Today’s children,” and 2.1% replied “Others.”. Among female respondents (n = 487), 6.0% replied “Today’s older generation,” 21.8% replied “Today’s middle-aged generation,” 54.6% replied “Today’s young people (my generation),” 16.4% replied “Today’s children,” and 1.2% replied “Others.”
Generation responsible for addressing global warming

Thinking regarding actions and methods related to environmental issues

Bar chart showing results from Awareness Survey of 18-Year-Olds: In response to the question, “What is your thinking regarding actions and methods related to environmental issues?”, among all respondents (n = 1,000), for “Purchase environmentally friendly products,” 33.0% replied “Effective,” 36.1% replied “Somewhat effective,” 14.4% replied “Somewhat ineffective,” and 16.5% replied “Ineffective.” For “Participate in volunteer activities related to environmental issues,” 29.2% replied “Effective,” 36.4% replied “Somewhat effective,” 15.7% replied “Somewhat ineffective,” and 18.7% replied “Ineffective.” For “Donate to NGOs and citizens’ groups working to resolve environmental issues,” 24.7% replied “Effective,” 39.3% replied “Somewhat effective,” 16.4% replied “Somewhat ineffective,” and 19.6% replied “Ineffective.” For “Participate in boycotts of products from companies causing environmental issues (not buying those products),” 23.2% replied “Effective,” 31.4% replied “Somewhat effective,” 21.5% replied “Somewhat ineffective,” and 23.9% replied “Ineffective.” For “Send letters and comments to newspapers, etc., calling for action in response to environmental issues, post and repost opinions on social media,” 21.4% replied “Effective,” 33.7% replied “Somewhat effective,” 22.1% replied “Somewhat ineffective,” and 22.8% replied “Ineffective.” For “Participate in activities to collect signatures calling for action in response to environmental issues,” 20.7% replied “Effective,” 36.5% replied “Somewhat effective,” 21.1% replied “Somewhat ineffective,” and 21.7% replied “Ineffective.” For “Take direct action including leading and participating in demonstrations calling for action in response to environmental issues,” 18.1% replied “Effective,” 33.3% replied “Somewhat effective,” 24.3% replied “Somewhat ineffective,” and 24.3% replied “Ineffective.”
Thinking regarding actions and methods related to environmental issues

Notes:

  • From the 13th survey, the number of respondents, comprising men and women aged 17 to 19, has been increased to 1,000 from 800.
  • With the exception of the 20th, 46th, and 62nd installments, all surveys cover respondents in Japan only.

Related Link

Contact

Global Communications Team
The Nippon Foundation

  • Email: info_global_communication@ps.nippon-foundation.or.jp

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