Status of environmental awareness and participation in Seoul, Korea and factors that motivate a green lifestyle to mitigate climate change

Climate change is an important global issue that can be mitigated by the adoption of a green lifestyle. The goal in this study was to find ways to motivate participation in such a lifestyle, with a survey of residents in Korea as a first step. The survey found that most respondents are aware of the need to adopt a green lifestyle, but only a minority are willing to voluntarily adopt one. The awareness and level of participation are relatively higher for women, for married people, and for homemakers. The survey also found that environmental education in school plays an important role in promoting participation in a green lifestyle. Moreover, although respondents agree that regulation is necessary to enforce a green lifestyle, they do not favor economic penalties for nonparticipation. Thus, informing the public of the positive effects of adopting a green lifestyle is more effective than regulatory enforcement. Our findings support the conclusion that emphasis on factors related to health or economics are more effective than social factors in promoting the adoption of a green lifestyle among the public. The results can be used as basic data to establish strategies to motivate the adoption of a green lifestyle.