世論 What Japan Thinks

infoPLANT surveyed 6,128 users of DoCoMo iMode phones in mid-January by means of a questionnaire available through a publically-accessible iMode menu option regarding people’s views on matters relating to stocks and shares. The sample replying to this survey was 62.1% female, with 3.1% teenaged, 38.9% in their twenties, 41.9% in their thirties, 14.0% in their forties, and just 2% aged 50 or over.

Note that some of the raw data that I have translated looked a bit dodgy, so I cannot vouch for the quality of this survey as there may very well be errors in the raw data in addition to any biases in the survey methodology. I note that those with no interest in shares tend to select the “Other” option to the second and third question, which suggests perhaps there needs to be new services dreamed up to engage those disinterested, but on the other hand it probably means that it was just the default option people had to select to complete the form, as there was no “Not interested” answer available!

Q1: Have you ever purchased or sold shares? (Sample size=6,128)

	All	Men N=2,325	Women N=3,803
Yes, during last year	6.3%	9.9%	4.2%
Yes, but not last year	3.7%	5.1%	2.8%
No, but I’m interested	66.0%	65.8%	66.1%
No, and I’m not interested	24.0%	19.2%	26.9%

Looking at the age and sex breakdown, as might be expected older people are more likely to have dealt in shares. For men, those with no interest increases with age, from about 10% of teenagers to over 25% of the over-forties (the 50+ age group is a small sample size, so will be ignored); but for women it stays pretty constant at between 25 and 30 percent.

Q2: How do you carry out your share dealing? For those who have not, how would you like to? (Sample size=6,128, multiple answer)

	Have dealt N=613	Have not dealt N=5,515
At a shop	25.0%	10.7%
By fixed-line phone	13.7%	2.9%
By mobile phone	9.0%	8.2%
By iMode service	28.9%	39.2%
By PC-based internet site	45.5%	43.7%
Other	15.0%	4.7%

Don’t ask me what the difference between using a fixed-line and a mobile phone to deal is! Looking at the above data in slightly more detail, those who have not dealt in shares for a year much favoured doing it in person at a shop, at 44.0% versus just over one in ten for all the other categories. At 40.1%, those with no interest in shares were over three times more likely to chose some other method of dealing that the ones listed about. (Note that the “Others/Have not dealt” data item looks incorrect when the detailed breakdown is studied – it perhaps should be 14.6%? In fact, looking at the rest of the “Have not dealt” data, there seems to be many other errors.)

Q3: How do you obtain share price information? (Sample size=6,128, multiple answer)

	Have dealt N=613	Have not dealt N=5,515
PC internet site	53.2%	30.3%
iMode site	32.1%	20.5%
Ordinary newspaper	33.9%	29.8%
Financial newspaper	33.6%	15.2%
Specialist newspaper	10.0%	4.7%
Magazine	12.6%	5.4%
Television	22.5%	36.0%
Radio	2.6%	1.9%
Shop	7.7%	3.6%
Other	13.1%	18.5%