Comparison of Rural and Urban High School Students in Japan Using Epps

A study was conducted to assess socio-spatial effects on personality on 581 Japanese National high school students.Population density was defined by the number of persons per square kilometer.Since Japan has the highest average population density in the world, a comparison between urban, suburban, and rural Japan was conducted using the Japanese translation of EPPS to detect changes in personality need structures.A further comparison was made between sansei (third generation Japanese) and Cosmopolitan (mixture of more than one ethnic group) high school students in Hawaii (N= 141) and the Japanese samples.The results supported the hypothesis that an urban environment fosters greater need for achievement and independence, including an increased need for heterosexuality and change in private boys' schools in an urban area.Rural environments, including Hawaii, were found to produce less elevated need patterns, probably because of increased ease of need satisfaction.