ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ACCEPTANCE OF PLASTIC SHOPPING BAG CHARGE AND THEIR IMPACTS

Abstract

 Employing the data obtained by a consumer survey throughout Japan and using a multi-nominal logit model, we extract factors that influence the acceptance of plastic shopping bags (PSBs) and evaluate their impacts. People interested in environmental issues (C1) and people who value pro-environmental behavior in their daily lives (C2) agree with PSBs charging. People who appreciate the convivence and usefulness of PSBs (C3) mainly disagree with PSBs charging at convenience stores, and people who have strong suspicions on the contribution of PSBs charging to the reduction of resource usage (C4) disagree with PSBs charging. To promote the transition from C3 or C4 to C1 or C2 for enhancing the acceptance of PSBs charge, showing the environmental effects of PSBs charging quantitatively and eliminating the inconvenience and financial burden are required.