Hokkaido Earns Highest Score in Environmental Satisfaction Ratings: Survey on Environmental Awareness and Local Environment

Image by Miya-ken. Some Rights Reserved.

Japan Post Insurance Co., an insurance company of the Japan Post Group, released on January 30, 2013, the results of their Internet survey on the environment, such as people's awareness of their local environment, its local conditions, and green-related activities. The nationwide survey was conducted with 930 people in their twenties to sixties as part of the company's environmental activities. Hokkaido gained the highest score in the "environmental satisfaction" ratings section, asking people about the positive and negative aspects of their local natural environment.

Regarding people's awareness of their local natural environment, the survey highlights their awareness of unique local environmental features. For example, people in the Hokkaido, Shinetsu, and Hokuriku areas are very conscious of their tasty drinking water and clean air. In response to a question about the natural beauty of Japan that should be preserved for future generations, frequent answers included the "four seasons," "cherry blossoms," and a "clear sky." These answers indicate that people want to conserve their distinctive native environment.

With regard to the present state of their natural environment, almost three-quarters of all respondents said they feel insecure about its future health, and the majority of the respondents think that the natural environment around them will be in a worse state in ten years. Responding to a question about signs of hope in the worsening natural environment, over 50 percent of respondents pointed out Japan's leading-edge technologies.

On the other hand, the results of the survey show that many people are considering buying eco-friendly home appliances such as light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, energy-saving refrigerators, and air-conditioners, which they recognize as outstanding examples of Japan's environmental technology. The use of LED lighting, in particular, has been steadily growing in Japan.

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