Willingness to Sacrifice for the Environment: A Comparison of Environmental Consciousness in China, Japan and South Korea

Abstract

This paper aims to compare and clarify people’s environmental consciousness in China, Japan and South Korea, from a perspective of willingness to sacrifice (WTS) for the environment. Analytical results derived from cross-national survey data indicate that the Chinese, especially Beijing citizens, tend to hold positive WTS, the Japanese tend to hold negative WTS, and South Koreans are located between Chines and Japanese. Based on the revised norm-activation theory, environmental anxiety and environmental responsibility judgments are proposed to explain the formation of WTS on a national level in this study. Positive relationship between WTS and environment anxiety is verified in surveyed regions. However, influence of environmental responsibility judgments to WTS differs from area to area. Generally speaking, people who ascribe the most important environmental responsibility to citizens or corporations are more likely to form positive WTS than those who ascribe it to the government. In addition, the influence of demographic factors to the formation of WTS is also clarified and the attributive features of individuals who are inclined to sacrifice for the environment are clarified on a national level.