世論 What Japan Thinks

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With almost three-quarters of Japanese reckoning that they themselves need to lose a few kilos, and with Billy’s Boot Camp flying off the shelves, not least because for men metabolic syndrome is the in cause of concern, and for women the summer and the associated revealing fashions are fast approaching. This recent survey by DIMSDRIVE Research on weight-loss dieting offered me so many possible headline opportunities, and I succumbed to the temptation to stuff in as many sweet keywords as I could.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 31st of May 2007 DIMSDRIVE Research interviewed 8,408 members of its online monitor panel by means of a private internet-based questionnaire. 43.1% of the sample was male, 0.8% in their teens, 15.0% in their twenties, 35.9% in their thirties, 28.8% in their forties, 13.9% in their fifties, and 5.6% aged sixty or older.

Television still remains the most popular source for information on dieting, despite the infamous natto diet scandal at the start of the year. Not terribly suprisingly, I think, Norkia chan is the body shape women most desire, while Hiromi Go, an aging-but-not-really-showing-it singer is tops for men, and not a person I would have considered.

Research results

Q6: Which of the following are you aware of decreasing, trying to decrease? (Sample size=2,347, those currently dieting from Q1, multiple answer)

	All	Male N=859	Female N=1,488
Weight	81.1%	75.4%	84.4%
Body fat percentage	70.1%	67.5%	71.6%
Visceral (surrounding internal organ) fat	49.5%	63.9%	41.1%
Subcutaneous (under skin) fat	42.1%	33.3%	47.2%
None of the above	0.6%	0.8%	0.4%

Q7: From where do you obtain diet-related information? (Sample size=5,811, those who have dieted or are dieting from Q1, multiple answer)

Television information programme	45.0%
Internet health or beauty site	22.9%
Health or beauty-related magazine column	22.8%
Friends	22.8%
Internet advertisement	20.4%
Television commercial	20.2%
Internet word-of-mouth site	18.3%
Magazine advertisement	17.2%
Drug store or other shop	15.0%
Looking at diet products	14.6%
Other magazine column	12.2%
Television shopping programme	11.7%
Newspaper column	10.1%
Blog, SNS, etc	8.4%
Other television programme	7.4%
Newspaper advertisement	7.1%
Email magazine	6.7%
Medical staff	6.4%
Other	1.8%
No particular source	15.6%

Q8: Why aren’t you dieting? (Sample size=3,863, those who feel they need to but aren’t dieting from Q2SQ, multiple answer)

Because I don’t think I could continue it	39.7%
Because it’s a pain	38.6%
Because I’d just succumb to temptation	32.5%
Because I’d just put off starting it	32.3%
Because it costs money	17.2%
Because it wouldn’t have any effect	16.3%
Because I don’t know what’s best to do	15.7%
Because I’ve no time	15.2%
Because it seems tough	14.5%
Because I’ve failed before	8.9%
Because there’s no-one to diet with	4.2%
Because the doctor made me stop	0.6%
Other	5.9%
Just because	10.0%

Q9: About how much does it cost (or do you think it costs) per month to diet? (Sample size=6,417, those who feel they need to diet from Q2, multiple answer)

Up to 1,000 yen	24.4%
Up to 3,000 yen	26.0%
Up to 5,000 yen	19.1%
Up to 7,000 yen	2.2%
Up to 10,000 yen	8.2%
Up to 15,000 yen	1.4%
Up to 20,000 yen	1.0%
More than 20,000 yen	0.7%
Don’t know	17.0%

Those who had not dieted seemed to over-estimate the amount of money required.

Q10: Which famous person has a body you can aspire to? (Sample size=6,417, those who feel they need to diet from Q2, free answer)

Rank	Female N=3,693	Votes	Rank	Male N=2454	Votes
1	Norika Fujiwara	273	1	Hiromi Go	37
2	Hitomi Kuroki	140	2	Ichiro Suzuki	29
3	Ryoko Yonekura	103	2	Takuya Kimura	29
4	Nanako Matsushima	102	4	Tsuyoshi Shinjo	28
5	Eriko Sato	78	5	Bruce Lee	26
6	Yuri Ebihara	55	5	Kain Kosugi	26
7	Ai Sugimoto	49	7	Tomoharu Shoji	19
8	Rikako Murakami	40	8	Katsunori Takahashi	17
9	Uno Kanda	38	9	Kan Abe	13
10	Aki Hoshino	33	10	Masaharu Fukuyama	12
11	Kaoru Yumi	32	11	Ken Takakura	11
12	Koyuki	31	11	Masaru Nagai	11
13	Angelina Jolie	26	13	Masato	10
14	Mariko Esumi	23	13	Yuzo Kayama	10
14	Kumi Koda	23	15	Arnold Schwarzenegger	9

Q11: Which diet exercise method are you most interested in? (Sample size=6,417, those who feel they need to diet from Q2, free answer)

Rank	Diet method	Votes
1	Billy’s Boot Camp	520
2	Yoga, hot yoga, power yoga, pilates	237
3	Walking	219
4	Exercise, aerobics, sports	200
5	Joba, Rodeo Boy, horse riding	120
5	Pelvic correction, pelvic diet	120

Note that Joba and Rodeo Boy are the names of two horse-riding simulators – I’ve heard in fact that there’s a Wii exercise game coming out soon that allows you to exercise from the saddle.

[part 1] [part 2]