A Study on Expanding Citizen Participation in Niigata Prefecture hrough Community Living Rooms

Citizen participation in community activities has gained popularity, especially in Niigata Prefecture. This study examines present conditions and perspectives of citizen participation in Community Living Rooms. It analyses, from the participant viewpoint, factors explaining the spread of citizen participation, using a questionnaire among local resident participants. The results are used for quantitative and qualitative analyses. Our analysis provided results with 502 episodes; classified into 27 main categories. Four major categories are Community Living Rooms, Characteristics of Human Emotion, Regional Characteristics, and Social Background. We organize them into a relational map and explain different concepts. The expansion of citizen participation, as evident in the Community Living Rooms, will increase local residents’ awareness, participation, and contribution to social welfare. Considering present trends in social welfare, in-home care is emphasized over communitybased care. The focus of attention in relation to in-home care has also shifted from formal to informal service systems (Sonoda, 2003). Citizen participation has become popular since the 1980s among local residents who understand community needs and participate in local volunteer activities. The NPO (Non-profit Organization) Law, leading to the development of NPO activities, was implemented in December 1998. Since then, informal activities have mainly been organized by local residents (Yoshinaga, 1999). The Social Welfare Law was enacted in May 2000, providing the opportunity for local residents to engage in community welfare; since this enactment, their roles have become increasingly important In Niigata Prefecture, in response to this recent movement, regional welfare activities with local resident participation in community life are becoming more common (Toyoda, 2005). In this study, accordingly, particular attention is given to the community aspect of the Community Living Rooms. We will examine, analyse, and assess these activities. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to examine the present conditions of and perspectives on the Community Living Room based on the survey carried out in September 2006, analysing the factors that help explain, from the viewpoint of the participants, how and why the Community Living Room has spread through the prefecture. Method We analysed the questionnaire administered to those who participated in the Community Living Room in September 2006, and examined the results in detail. It is always difficult to define the exact number of Community Living Rooms; therefore, presently we estimate this and other A Study on Expanding Citizen Participation in Niigata Prefecture through Community Living Rooms