Thinking things through

Chinese people have better environmental awareness than the Japanese, a recent survey indicates.

Hong Kong China News Agency reported that a research firm in Tokyo had surveyed 300 Japanese and 300 Chinese since August.

The firm's aim was to explore how the two cultures valued their respective environments.

Only a 10th of the Japanese respondents said they cared about the environment. Two-thirds said they were slightly interested.

In China, however, more that half of the respondents said they cared about the environment. A further 40 per cent said they were slightly concerned.

The researchers found that the March 11 earthquake in Japan may have had a greater impact on Chinese people's environmental consciousness than on the Japanese.

A third of the Chinese said the event had changed their views. Yet only 9 per cent of the Japanese said the same. People in both countries said they were concerned about air pollution.

Many Japanese respondents also worried about radiation and global warming. The Chinese said they were more concerned about water pollution and waste management.

Overall, Japanese respondents were far less optimistic about the future of their environment than their Chinese counterparts.