世論 What Japan Thinks

DIMSDRIVE Research recently released the results of a very timely opinion poll on the topic of norovirus, a bug that can cause a rather nasty dose of gastroenteritis. Between the 20th and 25th of December 6,533 members of their monitor group successfully completed an internet-based survey. 44.3% of the group was male, 1.1% in their teens, 16.1% in their twenties, 36.9% in their thirties, 27.1% in their forties, 13.4% in their fifties, and 5.4% aged sixty or older.

I’ll give another plug to Japundit’s advice on simple measures to reduce the risk of infection, and note that although it is highly contageous and pretty nasty when it breaks out, is does soon pass, after perhaps two or three days. Mind you, it is better not to catch it at all rather than just hoping you can ride it out, and if you live with other people, the chance of you passing it on to them is rather high, I suspect.

Q1: How do you feel regarding the current epidemic of food poisoning due to the norovirus? (Sample size=6,533)

Extremely anxious	32.1%
Quite anxious	51.3%
Neither anxious nor not anxious	6.8%
Not really anxious	8.0%
Not anxious at all	1.5%
Don’t know about norovirus or the epidemic (to end)	0.3%

Looking at the profile by sex and age, women are slightly more worried than men, but no definite age-related trend can be seen.

Q2: Are you taking any measures individually or as a family to prevent norovirus-related food poisoning or illness? (Sample size=6,512, multiple answer)

Yes (to SQ1)	67.5%
No (to SQ2)	29.9%
Don’t know	2.6%

Looking at the breakdown by age, for both men and women the older one got the more likely one was to take measures – compared to teenagers, almost twice as many over 60 were doing something.

Q2SQ1: What measures are you taking individually or as a family to prevent norovirus-related food poisoning or illness? (Sample size=4,393, multiple answer)

Washing hands and arms on returning home	85.9%
Frequent gargling	53.8%
Thoroughly heating food	46.4%
Washing hands and arms before meals	46.2%
Not eating shellfish, etc	40.9%
Washing hands before cooking or serving	33.9%
Washing hands and arms, etc not just on returning home and before meals	32.2%
Avoiding crowded places	26.7%
Frequently airing rooms	19.2%
Using humidifier	15.9%
Wearing gloves and mask	15.0%
Frequently or thoroughly washing clothes	12.9%
Avoiding going out	12.1%
Disinfecting cooking utensils and dishes	9.5%
Frequently or thoroughly clean house	9.2%
Stopping eating out	8.3%
Not buying lunch boxes, side dishes, etc	7.7%
Disinfecting clothes, towels, etc	3.1%
Other	1.3%

Note that one of the main transmission routes is through fecal matter, yet none of the above choices relate directly towards toilet-related habits. In the other category, freely contributed measures included using a disinfectant-impregnated wet tissue instead of a towel after using a toilet, and avoiding using the toilet altogether when outside.

Q2SQ2: Why are you not taking steps to prevent norovirus-related food poisoning or illness? (Sample size=1,949, multiple answer)

Don’t know what to do	36.6%
Preventitive measures don’t seem to work	21.0%
Don’t think I’ll catch it or not worried about catching it	19.7%
Too bothersome	18.7%
Measures for preventing colds and flu are sufficient	9.4%
Even if I get it I’ll soon get over it	4.7%
Disease symptoms don’t seem to be severe	2.3%
Other	3.9%
Don’t know or no particular reason	17.8%

Q3: Regarding the edipedmic of norovirus-related food poisoning, which of the following would you like to learn about? (Sample size=6,512, multiple answer)

Infection route	54.1%
How to find out if you have it	51.3%
What are the symptoms	47.9%
What to do if someone close to you gets it	47.6%
Severity of symptoms	45.5%
Preventitive measures	43.9%
Duration of symptoms	43.5%
Incubation period	42.7%
Which hospital or what clinic should I go to	30.3%
Information on drugs	29.2%
Cost of treatment	18.6%
Whether it is covered by medical insurance	15.6%
Other	1.0%
Don’t know	0.8%
Nothing in particular	7.9%