Assessing Public Preference for Construction of Giant Seawalls Using the Best–Worst Scaling Approach

Abstract

AbstractGiant seawalls have been constructed in areas stricken by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake to protect nearby townships from tsunamis, but their construction has caused great controversy. This study conducted a survey using the best–worst scaling (BWS) method in Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures, where the seawalls are constructed to understand what specific factors citizens think should be taken into consideration during construction. The results revealed that the negative impacts on the natural environment and seawall height (safety) were ranked most highly. Additionally, the results of regression analysis with respondents’ B-W scores for the negative impacts on the natural environment and seawall height (safety) as the explained variables demonstrated that people who less strongly recognized the need for a seawall were more likely to think the negative impact on the natural environment should be taken into consideration than did people who strongly recognized the need for a seawall; however, people who did not know much about seawalls were more likely to think seawall height should be considered than people who did. The regression analysis also found that people who more strongly felt there was a need to build seawalls were more likely to think seawall height should be a key consideration, whereas people who personally had suffered harm in the tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake were more likely to think seawall height should be a key consideration than did those who were not personally affected.