Abstract
Multi-country surveys of the public’s perception of risk using the same questionnaire were sequentially implemented from April to December 2006 in Japan, China, and South Korea. Statistical analyses, such as traditional mean tests, rank order tests, two-step cluster analysis, and principal component analysis were used to analyze the survey data. The results revealed that Chinese tend to be more tolerant of risk than Japanese and South Koreans. In all three countries, the threats of global warming, cancer, traffic accidents, and fire were perceived as higher-order risks, while infectious diseases and threats from high technology were perceived as lower-order risks. Looking across the entire multi-country sample, we found that Chinese participants perceived greater risk in typhoons, SARS, and drugs; Japanese saw greater risk from gas explosions and potential threats coming over the Internet; while people in all three countries identified earthquakes as a primary risk. These differences in risk perception reflect the natural and socioeconomic conditions in the three countries. Although the study did not emphasize differences in risk perception within countries based on demographic factors such as education, age, and gender, we found that differences based on education and age tended to be greater in China and South Korea than in Japan. We also found that men perceived greater risks than women in China and South Korea, while in Japan it was the opposite with women perceiving greater risks. A comparison of these results with previous studies reveals a bias in past studies toward student samples and indicates the need for more representative samples in multi-country surveys.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bian, W.-Q., & Keller, L. R. (1999). Chinese and Americans agree on what is fair, but disagree on what is best in societal decisions affecting health and safety risks. Risk Analysis, 19(3), 439–452.
Cha, Y.-J. (2000a). Risk perception in Korea: An application of psychometric paradigm. International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 1(1/2), 2000. IJRAM. doi:10.1504/IJRAM.2000.001487.
Cha, Y.-J. (2000b). Risk perception in Korea: A comparison with Japan and the United States. Journal of Risk Research, 3(4), 321–332 (October). doi:10.1080/13669870050132540.
Cooley, W. W., & Lohnes, P. R. (1971). Multivariate data analysis. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Datascape & Communications Inc. (2004). Kurofune 2004. Datascape & Communications Inc. (in Japanese).
Dillman, D. A. (1978). Mail and telephone surveys: The total design method. New York: Wiley-Interscience.
Hinman, G. W., Rosa, E. A., Kleinhesselink, R. R., & Lowinger, T. C. (1993). Perceptions of nuclear and other risks in Japan and the United States. Risk Analysis, 13, 449–455. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.1993.tb00745.x.
Hirose, H., Slovic, P., & Ishizuka, T. (1994). A comparative research of risk perception on US-Japan college students. Research in Social Psychology, 9(2), 114–122 (19940325).
Jacobs, L., & Worthley, R. (1999). A comparative study of risk appraisal: A new look at risk assessment in different countries. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 59(2), 225–247. doi:10.1023/A:1006163606270.
Jolliffe, I. T. (2002). Principal component analysis, series: Springer series in statistics, 2nd ed. NY: Springer.
Kasperson, R. E., Renn, O., Slovic, P., Brown, H. S., Emel, J., Goble, R., et al. (1988). The social amplification of risk: A conceptual framework. Risk Analysis, 8(2), 177–187. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.1988.tb01168.x.
Keown, C. F. (1989). Risk perceptions of Hong Kongese vs. Americans. Risk Analysis, 9(3), 401–405. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.1989.tb01005.x.
Kleinhesselink, R. R., & Rosa, E. A. (1991). Cognitive representation of risk perceptions: A comparison of Japan and the United States. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 22, 11–28. doi:10.1177/0022022191221004.
Mangione, T. W. (1995). Mail surveys: Improving the quality. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Renn, O., & Rohrmann, B. (2000). Cross-cultural risk perception: A survey of empirical studies. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Rao, C. R. (1964). The use and interpretation of principal component analysis in applied research. Sankhya A, 26, 329–358.
Rohrmann, B. (1999). Risk perception research - Review and documentation; Research Center Juelich: RC Studies #68. Available at: http://www.fz-juelich.de/mut/hefte/heft_69.pdf. Accessed on 28 September 2007.
Rohrmann, B., & Chen, H. (1999). Risk perception in China and Australia: An exploratory crosscultural study. Journal of Risk Research, 2(3), 219–241 (July). doi:10.1080/136698799376817.
Schmidt, M. R., & Wei, W. (2006). Loss of agro-biodiversity, uncertainty, and perceived control: A comparative risk perception study in Austria and China. Risk Analysis, 26(2), 455–470. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.2006.00744.x.
Shaw, P. J. A. (2003). Multivariate statistics for the environmental sciences. Thousands Oaks, CA: Hodder-Arnold.
Slovic, P. (1987). Perception of risk. Science, 236, 280–285. doi:10.1126/science.3563507.
Sokolowska, J., & Tyszka, T. (1995). Perception and acceptance of technological and environmental risks: why are poor countries less concerned? Risk Analysis, 15(6), 733–743. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.1995.tb01345.x.
SPSS Inc. (1999). SPSS 10.0J for Windows. Thousands Oaks, CA: SPSS Inc. (in Japanese).
Tanaka, A., Hirose, H., & Toshioka, Y. (1989). Factorial analysis on risk perception of Japanese women. Japanese Journal of Risk Analysis, 1(1), 39–44 (in Japanese).
UNDP (2004). Reducing disaster risk: A challenge for development. USA: John S. Swift Co.
Weber, E. U., & Hsee, C. (1998). Cross-cultural differences in risk perception, but cross-cultural similarities in attitudes towards perceived risk. Management Science, 44(9), 1205–1217.
Weber, E. U., & Hsee, C. (1999). Models and mosaics: Investigating cross-cultural differences in risk perception and risk preference. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6(4), 611–617.
Weber, E. U., Ames, D. R., & Blais, A. R. (2005). How do I choose thee? Let me count the ways: A textual analysis of similarities and differences in modes of decision-making in China and the United States. Management and Organization Review, 1(1), 87–118. doi:10.1111/j.1740-8784.2004.00005.x.
Xie, X., Wang, M., & Xu, L. (2003). What risks are Chinese people concerned about? Risk Analysis, 23(4), 685–695. doi:10.1111/1539-6924.00347.
Zhai, G., & Ikeda, S. (2006). Flood risk acceptability and economic value of evacuation. Risk Analysis, 26(3), 683–694. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.2006.00771.x.
Zhai, G., Sato, T., Fukuzono, T., Ikeda, S., Yoshida, K. (2006). Willingness to pay for flood risk reduction and its determinants in Japan. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 42(4), 927–940.
Zhang, J. (1994). Environmental hazards in the Chinese public’s eyes. Risk Analysis, 14(2), 163–167. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.1994.tb00041.x.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhai, G., Suzuki, T. Risk perception in Northeast Asia. Environ Monit Assess 157, 151–167 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-008-0524-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-008-0524-y