The gap between preservation awareness and consumption in sustaining traditional Japanese crafts

Abstract Cultural heritage preservation faces a paradox: high public valuation coexists with collapsing market demand. Framing preservation as a problem of sustainable consumption, we study Japan’s traditional textile industry, combining a student survey ( n = 328) analysed with ordered logit models and interviews with 13 producers analysed through computational text analysis. Wearing experience predicts stated preservation awareness (any experience versus none: β = 1.94, p < 0.01), and interest in traditional attire also matters (β = 0.487, p < 0.001), whereas perceived price does not (β = 0.144, ns). Because the survey measures a stated attitude rather than purchasing, willingness to pay, or purchase intention, we characterise the divergence between widespread valuation and weak demand as a cross-level pattern rather than a within-person intention–behaviour gap. The producer interviews point to information asymmetry, transaction costs beyond price, and intermediary collapse as candidate mechanisms for future testing. The findings caution against relying on subsidies or awareness campaigns alone, and link safeguarding traditional crafts to the Sustainable Development Goals.