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.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
De Young, R. (2000). New ways to promote proenvironmental behavior: Expanding and evaluating motives for environmentally responsible behavior. Journal of social issues, 56(3), 509–526.
Dietz, T., Stern, P. C., & Guagnano, G. A. (1998). Social structural and social psychological bases of environmental concern. Environment and behavior, 30(4), 450–471.
Disch, R. (Ed.). (1970). The ecological conscience: Values for survival. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Dunlap, R. E., & Van Liere, K. D. (1978). A proposed measuring instrument and preliminary results: The ‘New Environmental Paradigm’. Journal of Environmental Education, 9(1), 10–19.
Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). New trends in measuring environmental attitudes: measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: a revised NEP scale. Journal of social issues, 56(3), 425–442.
Heberlein, T. A. (1972). The Land Ethic Realized: Some Social Psychological Explanations for Changing Environmental Attitudesl. Journal of Social Issues, 28(4), 79–87.
Kalamas, M., Cleveland, M., & Laroche, M. (2014). Pro-environmental behaviors for thee but not for me: Green giants, green Gods, and external environmental locus of control. Journal of Business Research, 67(2), 12–22.
Lo, A. Y. (2010). Active conflict or passive coherence? The political economy of climate change in China. Environmental Politics, 19(6), 1012–1017.
Schwartz, S. H. (1970). Moral decision making and behavior. Altruism and helping behavior, 127–141.
Schwartz, S. H. (1977). Normative influences on altruism. Advances in experimental social psychology, 10, 221–279.
Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., & Guagnano, G. A. (1995). The new ecological paradigm in social-psychological context. Environment and behavior, 27(6), 723–743.
Swan, J. A. (1971). Environmental Education: One Approach to Resolving the Environmental Crisis. Environment and Behavior, 3(3), 223–229.
Wiidegren, O. (1998). The new environmental paradigm and personal norms. Environment and behavior, 30(1), 75–100.
Zheng, Y. (2010). Association analysis on pro-environmental behaviors and environmental consciousness in main cities of East Asia. Behaviormetrika, 37(1), 55–69.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, Y., Zheng, Y. Willingness to Sacrifice for the Environment: A Comparison of Environmental Consciousness in China, Japan and South Korea. Behaviormetrika 43, 19–39 (2016). https://doi.org/10.2333/bhmk.43.19
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2333/bhmk.43.19