Comparative Survey of the Consciousness of Intellectual Property among Students in Japan, China and Korea

Abstract

We conducted a consciousness survey regarding intellectual property using a questionnaire distributed to students in primary grades through university levels. In terms of responses, 577 answers from students in 9 schools in Japan, 704 answers from students in 14 schools in China, and 1,260 answers from students in 17 schools in Korea were evaluated. The questions explored 10 items: four regarding intellectual-conscious creativity, three regarding knowledge and understanding of intellectual property, two regarding an attitude of respect for intellectual property, and one regarding the internationality of intellectual property. We provided six possible responses: 1) I definitely think so, 2) I think so, 3) neither, 4) I definitely do not think so, 5) I do not think so, and 6) I do not understand. Consciousness of intellectual property depends on the grade level. Furthermore, responses differed by country. However, we must consider that consciousness of intellectual property may differ based on attendance of students at normal or special schools and the university department in which a student is enrolled. We conducted a further survey for second-year junior high students because we expected that education was mostly equal for all students in each country in the compulsory education stage. We found that Korean students had the highest level of consciousness regarding intellectual property, whereas Japanese students had the lowest.