Roger OngCompared to a few years ago, there is more awareness of environmental and social issues in Japan. Alongside the pandemic also came the opportunity for Japanese society to reassess relationships with nature and the need for sustainability. More and more Japanese are growing familiar with the term SDGs.
In the “3rd Regional SDGs Survey 2021” by Brand Research Institute, there was a significant improvement in SDGs awareness. The survey, conducted in May, included 16,300 responses from 47 prefectures, asking, “Do you know about the SDGs?” 33.1% replied that they do not, which was an improvement over 2019’s 70.7%.
The top five prefectures that had the highest SDGs awareness are:
- Tottori Prefecture – 51.9%
- Ishikawa Prefecture – 50.5%
- Chiba Prefecture – 48.1%
- Hiroshima – 47.9%
- Mie Prefecture – 47.8%
Other major areas included Tokyo in 11th (46.8%), Osaka in 13th (46.7%) and Hokkaido in 7th (47.7%). The average across Japan is 45%.
This is the second year Tottori Prefecture has come out top in the survey. Tottori Prefecture has been active in promoting SDGs to its citizens, forming various networks to involve businesses and youths. They also have a video series to share various examples of SDGs action within the prefecture. They have even created a logo mark specifically to increase the awareness of SDGs.
Citizen engagement was also important in promoting SDGs in Tottori Prefecture. The survey also showed that Tottori citizens were the most engaged with environmental, societal or consumption-related sustainable actions.
Furthermore, the survey also revealed a correlation between living a sustainable lifestyle and happiness. The number of surveyees who replied they were “very happy” or “happy” increased with the involvement in sustainable actions (saving electricity, donations, etc.)
SDGs awareness is climbing in Japan, although we suspect the numbers to be slightly higher. (Rural lifestyles tend to lean towards sustainability despite not using the term SDGs.) Nevertheless, the increase of understanding of why SDGs are crucial in the coming era is heartening. We expect the numbers to climb and hope that a tipping point comes soon for a sustainability boom.
[Reference] Brand Research Institute (Japanese)
