Anxiety over environmental issues remains high at 78% — 70% willing to help with environmental and social problems, but 1 in 4 young adults say 'it has nothing to do with me'

Cross Marketing Inc. (headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Miki Igarashi) conducted an "Environmental and Social Issues Awareness Survey (March 2026 Fixed-Point Kokoro Style Research)" in March 2026, targeting 3,000 men and women aged 18–79 across Japan. This survey is conducted at fixed intervals to capture changes in consumer awareness and lifestyle trends. This edition focused on environmental and social issues, analyzing anxiety and attitudes toward environmental problems, willingness to cooperate on environmental and social issues, social problems requiring countermeasures, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) priorities.

Survey Results

[Anxiety Level Regarding Environmental Issues] 29% of respondents said they are "anxious" about environmental issues (global warming, deforestation, ocean pollution, water pollution, air pollution, etc.), and when combined with those who said they are "somewhat anxious," 78% feel anxious about environmental issues. The proportion feeling anxious increases with age, with those in their 50s and above accounting for over 80%.

[Awareness of Environmental Issues / Willingness to Cooperate] Respondents were asked to rate their awareness and attitudes toward environmental issues on a four-point scale. The combined "strongly agree" and "somewhat agree" rates were highest for "Environmental problems will become increasingly serious in the future" and "It is necessary to develop disaster-resilient infrastructure" at 83%, followed by "Sustainable development that balances environmental protection and economic growth is important" and "I am anxious about the effects of global warming." Agreement rates were high across most items and tended to increase with age, reflecting persistent anxiety about the future of environmental issues.

Seventy percent of respondents said they want to "actively cooperate" or "cooperate to the extent possible" with environmental and social issues; this figure exceeds 80% among those in their 60s and 70s. On the other hand, 26% of respondents in their 20s and 30s said "addressing these issues is something for national and local governments to handle — it has nothing to do with me."