世論 What Japan Thinks

At the start of last month, MyVoice asked its monitor panel whether they read their mobile phone’s manual. They got 12,967 valid replies to their private internet-based opinion poll; 54% of the respondents were female, 3% in their teens, 21% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 25% in their forties, and 13% aged fifty or older.

Most telephones come with a telephone directory thickness manual, although usually in A5 size, plus perhaps two other subsiduary manuals. Actually, English speakers have it best, as there is usually a 10 or 20 page appendix with a potted guide to the phone that summarises all the key features in English.

Oh, and RTFM is, for those who might not know, an abbreviation for Read The Friendly (or substituting other F-words as necessary) Manual.

Q1: Which mobile phone service do you currently use the most? (Sample size=12,967)

DoCoMo FOMA (3G iMode)	28.8%
DoCoMo mova (non-3G iMode)	15.0%
DoCoMo other	0.7%
au WIN (3G)	13.1%
au CDMA 1X	9.8%
au other	2.2%
vodafone/Softbank 3G	6.1%
vodafone non 3G	13.4%
WILLCOM	2.3%
Other including PHS	2.3%
Dont use mobile phone	6.1%

Q2: Do you read the manuals that come with mobile phones? (Sample size=mobile phone users)

Am sure to read	13.4%
Read when needed	52.9%
Almost never read (to SQ)	27.9%
Never read at all (to SQ)	5.5%
No answer	0.3%

Q2SQ: Why don’t you read the manuals? (Sample size=never or almost never read people)

Know how to use phone without reading	12.9%
Remember how to use functions as I use them	39.1%
Reading them is a bother	36.3%
Manuals are difficult to understand	8.3%
Other	0.8%
No particular reason	2.3%
No answer	0.2%

Q3: What do you do with the manuals after you receive them? (Sample size=mobile phone users)

Keep them	94.0%
Throw them away	2.7%
Can’t remember	2.8%
No answer	0.6%

Q4: What do you do when you don’t know how to use your phone? (Sample size=mobile phone users)

Read the manual	81.7%
Just try using the phone	30.9%
Ask friends or family	30.1%
View service provider’s or phone maker’s web site	17.2%
Use phone’s built in help features	15.8%
Ask at mobile phone shop	7.7%
Look up ordinary web page	6.2%
Other	0.6%
Just don’t use that feature	2.9%
No answer	1.2%

Q5: Do you read all your mobile phone manuals, warning sheets, advertising leaflets, etc? (Sample size=mobile phone users)

Read all closely	6.1%
Skim over them	68.9%
Don’t read them	21.6%
Can’t remember	2.7%
No answer	0.7%

Q6: If mobile phone manuals were only passed to those who asked for them, would you want to receive them? (Sample size=mobile phone users)

Definitely	47.6%
Probably	42.6%
Probably not	8.4%
Definitely not	1.0%
No answer	0.4%