A Cross-cultural Study on Trust and Risk Perception among Japan, China, and the United States: Focusing on Earthquakes and Nuclear Power Plant Accidents

摘要

In this paper, the author aims to examine the relationship between the risk perceptions of laypeople and the trust toward social system among three countries, Japan, China, and the United States. The present study also intends to clarify the change of people's attitudes toward earthquake and nuclear power plant accident before and after The Great East Japan Earthquake. The social survey was carried out in 2008 and 2012. It used questionnaires to obtain data of people: male and female, 20-69 years, in each country, using random sampling. It has been found that Japanese people fear most strongly the bad influence of life risks. Not only the Japanese but also Chinese and Americans respondents' level of risk perception related to the nuclear power plant accident in 2012 is significantly higher than that in 2008. Furthermore the significant effect of distrust for government on risk perception was observed.