| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
YAMADA Tsuneo National Institue of Multimedia Education Associate Professor, 助教授 (70182540)
HARADA Akira Osaka University Research Assistant, 大学院・人間科学研究科, 助手 (10263336)
KANO Yutaka Osaka University Associate Professor, 大学院・人間科学研究科, 助教授 (20201436)
SHINJI Reiko Baika Junior College Associate Professor, 生活科学科, 助教授 (90206318)
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| Research Abstract |
In the present approach we studied human ecology, focusing on human beings as biological organisms and social beings in interaction with nature and their environment. The intention was to illuminate perceived environmental problems of contemporary human life cross-culturally. We assumed that the perception of human ecology varies systematically across culture and gender but also across time. Specifically, this study examined cultural and gender influences on attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and perceived risk factors in human ecology, furthermore on the level of knowledge about nature and environment, and finally on behavior affecting the environment. Subjects from Japan, Germany, Sweden, and the United States (total N=1,317) completed a survey scale consisting of seven components : 1) image of the sea, 2) image of the mountain, 3) image of the river, 4) sea affairs score, 5) environmental attitudes scale, 6) environmental knowledge scale, and 7) environmental behavior scale.
Cultural differences revealed by the analyses included the following : 1) the Japanese group had the highest scores in environmental knowledge and the American the lowest, 2) the German and the Swedish participants described and evaluated their behavior as most and the Japanese as least protecting the environment.
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