Abstract
China has experienced rapid economic growth over the last thirty years. However, owing to such rapid growth, China is facing various environmental issues that need to be addressed. Numerous researchers believe that Chinese citizens’ cognizance regarding pollution can play an important role in protecting the environment by incorporating social changes, which is termed as “environmental citizenship.” The objective of this study is to investigate Chinese citizens’ awareness of environmental issues, pollution in cities, and environmental protection activities (EPAs), and thereby identify the determinant factor for an individual to participate in activities that protect or pollute the environment. Based on questionnaire-survey data, aspects such as civilians’ knowledge of environmental protection laws (EPLs), rules for sorting garbage-waste, awareness of the severity of China’s environmental issues, participation in EPAs, and prioritization of EPAs in daily life were analyzed. Mathematical distributions of the said aspects were statistically analyzed through factor analysis and regression analysis. Obtained results indicate that most Chinese citizens understand the severity of environmental issues and recognize the need for changing citizens’ activities and outlooks. However, few citizens adhere to EPLs. Furthermore, Chinese citizens do not prioritize EPAs in their daily lives, and regional inhabitants do not refrain from polluting the environment. However, Chinese citizens are shifting their focus from rapid national development to sustainable development. Hence, the obtained results demonstrate the implications for the education sector and national/local government to raise public awareness toward EPAs.
Author Information
Tomomi Hamada, Chubu University, Japan
Makoto Shimizu, Chubu University, Japan
Paper Information
Conference: IICSEEHawaii2020
Stream: Consumption, Production & Waste
This paper is part of the IICSEEHawaii2020 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Hamada T., & Shimizu M. (2020) Empirical Analysis of Chinese Environmental Citizenship: Citizens’ Awareness of Environmental Issues and Environmental Protection Activities ISSN: 2432-8642 – The IAFOR International Conference on Sustainability, Energy & the Environment – Hawaii 2020 Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-8642.2020.4
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-8642.2020.4
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