Shifting the perception of water environment problems by introducing "imaginary future generations"—Evidence from participatory workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kuroda, Masashi; Uwasu, Michinori; Bui, Xuan-Thanh; Nguyen, Phuoc-Dan; Hara, Keishiro
• Is Part Of: Futures. Volume 126(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-02
• Subjects: Water environment issues -- Future design -- Imaginary future generation -- Citizen workshop -- Questionnaire survey -- Vietnam; Economic forecasting -- Periodicals; Technological forecasting -- Periodicals; Economic policy -- Periodicals; Prévision économique -- Périodiques; Prévision technologique -- Périodiques; Politique économique -- Périodiques; Economic forecasting; Economic policy; Technological forecasting; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 330.0112
• DOI: 10.1016/j.futures.2020.102671
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0016-3287

Abstract

Highlights: A workshop was designed to examine how people's perceptions over water issues vary when representing different generations. Introduction of a future generation's perspective clearly changed the people's perception on the water issues. Respondents were clustered into six groups by cluster analysis of their answering patterns. Individual future image determined the shifts of perception by the introduction of a future generation's perspective. Abstract: This study evaluated the influence of introducing the perspective of future generations on people's perception of various water issues by conducting a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. During the workshop, 19 questions related to water challenges in HCMC were given and participants prioritized them from the standpoints of the current and an imaginary future generations, respectively. Respondents and questions were each assigned to six groups by cluster analysis of the answers. From the standpoint of the imaginary future generation, three groups of respondents placed higher priority on many issues including the global-scale environmental issue, demonstrating a clear shift of perception depending on the perspective. Their future images of HCMC were deplorable, with more severe climate change impacts, leading to pessimistic answers to the questions. In contrast, two respondent groups that imagined an optimistic HCMC future, where sufficient economic and technological development will solve the issues, placed lower priority on most of the issues. These results suggest that the shifts of people's perception by the introduction of a future generation's perspective are likely to be affected by the future that they imagine.