世論 What Japan Thinks

With Japanese baby boomers due to start reaching the mandatory retirement age from this April, MyVoice performed a timely survey over the first five days of February looking at this very issue of the baby boom generation.

Demographics

13,304 members of MyVoice’s online community successfully completed a private internet-based survey. 54% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 19% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 26% in their forties, and 14% aged fifty or older.

Japan’s baby boom generation are those born in the immediate post-war times from 1947 to 1949, or 昭和, Showa, 22 to 24 when counting by the Japanese imperial reign-based calendar system.

I must admit to general ignorance on what problems exactly the mass retirement will have, except for accelerating the increase in pensioners, and therefore increasing the amount of money the government needs from me to keep the OAPs in bingo money. I suppose that in itself is as big a problem as it gets, although another reason I’ve heard about from the press is that Japan will lose the generation that made Japan what it is today, although I personally don’t see that as a problem.

Survey results

Q1: Do you know the expression “Baby Boom Generation”? (Sample size=13,304)

Know about it in detail	44.7%
Know a little about it	46.2%
Just heard the term	7.6%
Don’t know it	1.5%

Q2: What sort of image do you have regarding the “Baby Boom Generation”? (Sample size=13,304, multiple answer)

Stubborn	43.5%
Fortitute	38.1%
Diligent	37.8%
Conservative	33.2%
Assertive	29.9%
Dynamic	19.2%
Determined	16.9%
Wise	14.5%
Ambitious	13.7%
Sincere	12.2%
Cooperative	9.1%
Prudent	7.2%
Free	4.6%
Individualistic	4.5%
Progressive	3.9%
Naive	3.6%
Empathetic	2.9%
Friendly	2.9%
Considerate	2.5%
Bright personality	2.3%
Calm	1.5%
Elegant	1.5%
None of the above, don’t know	11.9%
No answer	0.1%

Q3: Do you know anyone in the “Baby Boom Generation”? If more than one, choose the closest relation. (Sample size=13,304)

Father	24.7%
Brother or sister	3.3%
Other family member or relative	14.5%
Friend	4.6%
Person at work or work contact	24.1%
Someone who lives nearby	4.1%
Myself	2.5%
Other	1.4%
Can’t think of anyone	20.9%

Q4: What sort of image do you have of the person in Q3? (Sample size=those who know a Baby Boomer, multiple answer)

Diligent	35.9%
Stubborn	32.7%
Fortitude	25.4%
Assertive	24.5%
Conservative	21.6%
Dynamic	20.3%
Determined	19.0%
Wise	16.4%
Sincere	16.3%
Friendly	13.4%
Ambitious	11.5%
Bright personality	10.1%
Cooperative	9.4%
Individualistic	8.5%
Prudent	8.3%
Considerate	8.1%
Free	7.6%
Calm	6.3%
Naive	5.4%
Elegant	4.2%
Empathetic	4.2%
Progressive	3.1%
None of the above, don’t know	8.1%
No answer	0.2%

Q5: Do you know about the problem of vast numbers of the “Baby Boom Generation” reaching retirement age of 60 between 2007 and 2009? (Sample size=13,304)

Know about it in detail	49.0%
Know a bit about it	42.1%
Know about mass retirement, but didn’t know it was a problem	6.3%
Don’t know about either the retirement or the problem	2.6%

Q6: How much of an effect will the mass retirement of the “Baby Boom Generation” have on society in general? (Sample size=13,304)

Great effect	31.1%
Some effect	54.9%
Little effect	8.7%
No effect at all	1.0%
Don’t know	4.3%

Q7: How much of an effect will the mass retirement of the “Baby Boom Generation” have on you yourself? (Sample size=13,304)

Great effect	8.9%
Some effect	33.1%
Little effect	39.5%
No effect at all	11.0%
Don’t know	7.5%