世論 What Japan Thinks

[part 1] [part 2]

Following on from my earlier post regarding a survey on smoking by goo Research, I now present a translation of a related opinion poll from DIMSDRIVE Research on smoking manners. In mid-June they interviewed 8,273 people from their internet monitor group. 56.8% of the sample was female, 1.2% in their teens, 17.5% in their twenties, 36.2% in their thirties, 28.1% in their forties, 12.7% in their fifties, and 4.3% aged sixty or over; average age was 42.2 years old for men, 36.6 years old for women. As further demographic information they also published the occupations of the sample; 2.1% were company director level, 37.3% were ordinary full-time employees, 6.3% self-employed, 11.9% in part-time or casual labour, 3.2% worked for local or national government, 2.4% were freelancers, 24.5% housewives, 3.6% students, 1.0% retired, 4.8% unemployed, and 2.9% in others jobs.

This part of the survey focuses on manners; one of the many things that annoys me is how Japan Tobacco get around the ban on advertising smoking products by instead having a smoking manners campaign instead; be sure to check out the full gallery there! I think any resident of Japan would tell you that it seems that far less than the percentages mentioned in Q8, for instance, actually carry out these points of etiquette. I’m also very suprised by throwing away cigarette ends being seen as bad manners by many more non-smokers than lighting up in non-smoking areas!

Q7: If you are outside and want to smoke, but there are no designated areas, what do you do? (Sample size=2,395, current smokers, multiple answer)

Resist the urge	55.5%
Look for a smoking area	47.9%
Use a portable ashtray	35.7%
Enter a shop where I can smoke	30.9%
Smoke by the side of the road, etc	26.1%
Light up regardless	1.4%
Other	1.5%
Don’t know	0.4%

Q8: What smoking manners or points of etiquette do you follow? (Sample size=2,395, current smokers, multiple answer)

Don’t throw away cigarette ends	72.9%
Don’t smoke whilst walking	59.4%
Don’t smoke outside designated areas	49.4%
Carry a portable ashtray	47.5%
Ask non-smokers if it’s OK before lighting up	46.0%
Don’t smoke near non-smokers	28.6%
Other	2.8%
Don’t know	4.9%

Q9: From when did you start your smoking manners or etiquette? (Sample size=2,278, smokers with manners)

Within the last six months	2.0%
Within the last year	6.0%
Within the last two years	8.6%
Within the last three years	8.0%
Earlier than that	63.1%
Don’t know or can’t remember	12.3%

Q10: What were the reasons behind you starting your smoking manners or etiquette? (Sample size=2,278, smokers with manners, multiple answer)

Saw other smokers’ bad manners	38.3%
Non-smoking areas increased	33.1%
Felt people glaring at me	18.8%
Print or television advertisements	13.2%
Friends or family alerted me	7.9%
Television, other than advertisement	7.4%
Followed advice from the Health Promotion Law	5.9%
Newspaper or magazine, other than advertisement	4.8%
After causing trouble with my smoking	3.8%
Other	11.2%
Don’t know	2.5%
Nothing in particular	26.0%

Q11: Why did you quit smoking? (Sample size=1,409, ex-smokers, multiple answer)

Health reasons	73.0%
To save money	24.8%
Had children	18.9%
Smoking places disappeared or became fewer	17.1%
Family or friends asked me to	16.8%
Price of tobacco increased	14.1%
Number of smokers around me decreased	6.6%
People would glare at me	5.4%
Other	12.3%
Nothing in particular	5.1%

Q12: What smokers’ bad manners are you bothered by? (Sample size=1,409, ex- and non-smokers, multiple answer)

Throwing away cigarette ends	87.9%
Smoking whilst walking	87.8%
Smoking in restaurants	64.4%
Smoking in non-smoking areas	63.7%
Blowing smoke towards other people	57.1%
Smoking without asking non-smokers if it’s OK	52.4%
Other	7.0%
Nothing in particular	1.3%

Q13: How do you feel about the decrease in the number of designated smoking areas? (Sample size=8,273)

Should get rid of them all	24.4%
Should decrease more	26.7%
Current number is fine	27.0%
Should increase	21.9%

There was little variation by age, with perhaps the trends to be noted reflecting the percentage of smokers in each age group. For smokers, 40.1% thought the current amount was just right, and 43.7% wanted them to increase, whilst 32.4% of non-smokers wanted rid of them completely and 32.9% wanted the decrease to continue.

[part 1] [part 2]