Japanese Attitudes Towards Forests According to Comparative Opinion Surveys

Abstract

The aim of this study was to discover what the residents of various countries think and feel about their forests. Large scale opinion surveys had been conducted throughout the world since 1979 to 1996 in various Japanese cities, four German cities, one French city, three Brazilian cities, and in three Peruvian cities. Results of the opinion surveys were analyzed, and attitudes towards forest and nature summarized as follows; 1. Many people believed that a spirit exists in natural things animism and had a quite deep emotional affinity with forest and nature except in Tokyo. 2. On the ethical behavior of forest management,positive responses were most frequent in Germany and France, followed by Brazil and Peru, and then Japan.