世論 What Japan Thinks

Over the first five days at the start of March MyVoice surveyed their internet community on the topic of personal computers. Note that I will use the term PC throughout, but the survey includes Macs and other kinds of home computers too.

Demographics

15,786 people successfully completed the survey. 54% were female, 2% in their teens, 18% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 26% in their forties, and 15% in their fifties.

As a side-note, I’ve often wondered by MyVoice has no-one over fifty-nine in their samples. Do they have to leave the online community once they reach that age? Do they really mean in their fifties or older in the group? Perhaps I should email them.

Back on PCs, I have a home-built effort, so if I define buying a new one as upgrading the motherboard, I think it was last changed in the year 2000. Marriage does tend to realign your purchasing priorities, or more precisely one gets one’s purchasing priorities realigned for one. I’m still blogging away on a 900 MHz AMD Athlon, and whilst I’d love to buy a dockable portable, or just anything with a quieter fan, sadly my budget is assigned to other things.

Research results

Q1: In which year did you purchase the current PC you use at home? (Sample size=15,786)

2000 or earlier	18.7%
2001	6.2%
2002	9.3%
2003	11.3%
2005	12.3%
2005	16.6%
2006	16.0%
2007	2.7%
Can’t remember	6.3%
Don’t use a PC at home	0.5%
No answer	0.1%

Q2: Do you know about Windows Vista? (Sample size=15,786)

Know about details and functions	38.1%
Just heard the name	58.3%
Never heard of it	3.6%

Q3: Do you plan to buy a new computer for home use? (Sample size=15,786)

Yes, within a month	2.0%
Yes, within three months	2.0%
Yes, within six months	4.0%
Yes, within a year	6.0%
Plan to buy, but no date set	33.4%
Interested, but don’t have plan to buy	25.1%
Don’t plan to buy	27.1%
No answer	0.3%

Q4: Regarding investigating the purchase of a new computer, how did the release of Windows Vista affect your investigations? (Sample size=those who plan to buy a computer, and know about Windows Vista)

Was excuse to look at buying	9.6%
Was looking at buying, and spurred me on	14.5%
Was excuse to delay or abandon plans to buy	8.8%
No particular effect	65.7%
No answer	1.3%

Q5: How do you view your home computer? (Sample size=15,786, multiple answer)

As an entertainment tool	86.2%
As an information gathering tool	78.9%
As a shopping tool	58.8%
As a work, study tool	55.1%
As a communications tool	51.4%
As an expression my interest in hardware, specifications	5.2%
As part of the furtniture	2.3%
Other	2.0%
No answer	0.4%

Q6: What famous person would be a good fit for computer television advertising? (Sample size=15,786, free answer)

Overall

Rank	有名人	Famous person	Votes	Who is this?
1	木村拓哉	Takuya Kimura	637	Nicknamed Kimutaku, one of the members of SMAP, and currently advertising the Fujitsu FMV computer
2	眞鍋かをり	Kaori Manabe	374	Queen of the Bloggers, and apparently has even done an anti-spyware commercial
3	中川翔子	Shoko Nakagawa	243	The new Queen of the Bloggers, it seems
4	篠原涼子	Ryoko Shinohara	204	She was recently voted the ideal female boss by new company recruits this year
5	菊川玲	Rei Kikukawa	120	One of the few people in the Japanese entertainment world to graduate from Tokyo University, a feat that gives one an instant aura of intelligence regardless of what was actually achieved there
6	仲間由紀恵	Yukie Nakama	101	She often appears in television commercials playing intelligent businesswomen-type roles
7	福山雅治	Masaharu Fukuyama	96	A famous actor and singer
8	オダギリジョー	Joe Odagiri	95	Another famous actor
9	長澤まさみ	Masami Nagasawa	88	Searching Google for her name suggests she appears in skimpy clothing rather often. Currently features in a Shinkansen advertisement that has her in a business suit, but using something that looks suspiciously like a Nintendo DS to me
10	中田英寿	Hidetoshi Nakata	85	The ex-footballer

By sex of voters

Rank	有名人	Famous person	Male votes	有名人	Famous person	Female votes
1	木村拓哉	Takuya Kimura	252	木村拓哉	Takuya Kimura	385
2	眞鍋かをり	Kaori Manabe	184	眞鍋かをり	Kaori Manabe	190
3	中川翔子	Shoko Nakagawa	91	篠原涼子	Ryoko Shinohara	174
4	長澤まさみ	Masami Nagasawa	56	中川翔子	Shoko Nakagawa	152
5	菊川玲	Rei Kikukawa	52	福山雅治	Masaharu Fukuyama	89