1.5-degree lifestyles for climate change adaptation in Japan : a youth perspective (本文)
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The '1.5-degree lifestyle' aims to reduce the carbon footprint of households in six areas (food, housing, mobility, consumer goods, leisure and services) through public efforts.These six areas were identified by the Japan Institute of General Economics (IGES).This study focused on university students in Japan to investigate their awareness and adoption of a 1.5-degree lifestyle, with a particular emphasis on analyzing the transformation mechanism between climate cognition and actual actions.Based on the KIDA (Knowledge Interest Desire Action) framework, the research aimed to reveal the behavioral path from cognition to action among the youth group.The study employed a mixed-method approach, combining questionnaire surveys with in-depth interviews, to conduct a comprehensive analysis.The research results indicated that overall awareness of 1.5-degree lifestyles was low.Although gender was not found to be a significant predictor of behavioral intention in the regression analysis, descriptive and correlation analyses revealed gender and nationality-related differences, with females generally showing higher awareness, interest, and desire than males.A significant gap was identified in the transformation from intentions to actual actions.Among them, 'interest' rather than 'knowledge' was found to be the key factor influencing behavioral intentions, suggesting that motivation plays a core role in the transformation of behavior.The loss of convenience and economic costs were identified as the most significant barriers to behavior change, while infrastructure improvement and economic incentives are the most effective promoting factors.Additionally, the study found significant gender and nationality differences.Women are more driven by education, social norms, and community participation, while men rely more on economic and convenience considerations, and there is a widespread sense of individual powerlessness.Lastly, this study provided evidence for understanding the behavioral transformation of youth in climate actions, and proposed evidence-based recommendations to narrow the gap between cognition and action.
Authors: ファン, ロン, Huang, Rong, 黄, 戎
Institution: Keio University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222393428