Support for climate and biodiversity policies differs across cultural worldviews in Japan

This article examines how cultural worldviews and values of nature influence environmental risk perception and policy support in Japan. Based on a nationwide survey of 1,133 respondents, it compares support for climate change measures, climate change-related biodiversity conservation and stand-alone biodiversity conservation. The study explores whether biodiversity-focused policies may be less polarising than policies explicitly associated with climate change.

The key takeaway is that support for environmental policy differs across climate and biodiversity domains. Individuals with more hierarchical worldviews perceived climate change risks as lower and were less supportive of climate measures, while this association was weaker for biodiversity-related measures and not significant for stand-alone biodiversity conservation. The article suggests that climate and biodiversity policies should be considered together, as biodiversity-oriented approaches may help advance environmental action while facing lower worldview-driven resistance.