impact of public opinion on policy-making when we examine the Nujiang
Dam case in Chapters 7 and 8.
Finally, to answer a general question asked at the outset of the chapter:
survey research in China indicates that most respondents continue to hold
anthropocentric views concerning nature. A recent survey in Guangzhou
found that a quarter or fewer respondents agreed to tenets^48 of the New
Environmental Paradigm (NEP), a lower percentage than found in Europe,
North America, and Japan.^49 Although this study did not identify the
characteristics of those adopting NEP, we suspect they are young, well-
educated, and hold professional occupations. Yet a recent study of Beijing-area
university students notes: ‘If it had been at all possible they would have
supported strengthened environmental protection, but reality convinced them
that economic growth was necessary to raise the standard of living of Chinese
citizens’.^50
Taiwan
In Taiwan, survey research on environmental perceptions has a 20-year
history. In a 1999 public opinion survey conducted by the Institute of
Sociology of Academia Sinica, researchers noticed a significant growth of
environmental consciousness in Taiwan during the 1990s. The report indicated
that the Taiwanese populace is sensitive to environmental issues and aware of
the cost, risks, and trade-offs on which decisions must be based in planning for
the future. Table 2.1 compares the responses of population samples at three
points in time: 1983, 1986, and 1999.
The first item of note in Table 2.1 is that air pollution is consistently
mentioned as Taiwan’s greatest environmental problem. Noise and water
pollution, as well as solid waste disposal, change positions somewhat over the
years, but remain of great concern. Soil erosion ranked higher in 1999 than
previously, which reflects the worsening problems concerning land loss and
degradation, as seen in flooding disasters of the past decade. Another
noteworthy change is the reduction in over-population from a high rank in the
1980s to a lower position in 1999, consistent with demographic changes (the
lower birthrate in Taiwan). Most of these high-ranked factors influence
Taiwan’s biodiversity.
As compared to other social problems, the environment has declined
somewhat as an issue of concern. In 1983 it ranked fourth (after juvenile
delinquency, public safety, and overpopulation). In 1986 it ranked second
(after juvenile delinquency). However, in the 1999 survey, environmental
pollution had dropped to fifth place (after juvenile delinquency, bribery in
elections, public safety, and unemployment).^51 Nature conservation, a new
topic on the survey in 1999, ranked seventh as a public concern. As in China,
Historical patterns 33