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February 20, 2009 Homemaker Survey, 5% Opposed Due to Increased Cost
On February 20, 2009, e's Inc. (Head office in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan; President Junko Edahiro) announced the result of a Survey on Governmental Policies to Combat Global Warming by Promoting the Use of Green Energy. The survey asked respondents to vote "suppose" or "oppose" about policies for promoting green energy, as well as about a feed-in tariff (FIT), an electricity pricing policy to support green energy, before and after they received information about their costs and benefits. Starting at 5:00 p.m. February 16, the survey was open to voluntary respondents via the Internet until 300 valid responses were received. Female respondents accounted for 99% of the total, and 94% of respondents were between the ages of 25 to 50, which suggests that the survey collected the opinions of homemakers, who are known to keep a close watch on living costs. The results show that 80% of respondents approved of policies promoting the use of green energy "in general," and 70% approved a FIT after learning that the system is designed to pay higher prices to buy electricity from renewable sources. After learning that the system would cost each household an average of 260 yen per month, over 50% were in favor, and only 12% opposed the system. Of those opposed, 40% (5% of all the respondents) stated that they are against a FIT because of the increased costs. Question 4 (Q4) was for free comments. The most common statement was that more explanation and information should be provided (12% of the total), which indicates that most respondents did not fully understand two aspects of the system: Electricity from renewable energy sources is to be bought from entities that have installed the facilities at a high cost; and the cost for the system is spread out among many households by adding a small additional monthly amount to electrical utility rates. This conclusion follows from the result that for Q2 and Q3, 25% and 34% of respondents answered "unsure," respectively. Concerns and resistance to an increase in costs accounted for 9% of the total, but opposition to a FIT remain at 5% of all comments received, which indicates that while respondents have concerns or resistance, they approve such a policy or at least regard it as worthy of serious consideration. On the other hand, respondents provided numerous positive comments that an increased cost burden is unavoidable (4% of the total). In addition, many stated that policies are needed to reduce initial investment costs (5% of the total). The full report can be downloaded (Japanese only) from the Daily Ondanka website managed by e's Inc. e's Inc. provides government, businesses, local communities, non-governmental organizations, and individuals with consulting and communication services focusing on sustainability.
For inquiries and information: Table 1: Survey Question Q1: To stop global warming, besides conserving energy it is also important to shift toward green energy (such as solar and wind power) which produces less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. While European countries and the U.S. are increasing their ratios of green energy and setting higher goals, Japan's future target remains among the lowest in the world. To change this situation, a policy promoting the use of green energy is proposed in Japan. Do you approve of such a policy? Table 2 : Q1- Q3
Table 3 : Summary of responses to Question 4
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