世論 What Japan Thinks

RTFM – Read The Friendly (or substitute other words begining with F) Manual. I wonder if there is a slang expression in Japanese with a similar meaning? To find out whether or not RTFMing goes on in Japan, Cross Marketing Inc produced a report, with the highlights published by japan.internet.com, on the topic of paper manuals for personal computers.

Demographics

Over the 10th and 11th of October 2007 300 members of Cross Marketing Inc’s online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. As usual for Cross Marketing, there was a 50:50 male and female split, and 20.0% in each age band from teens to fifties.

As perhaps a cross-reference, I looked at this topic last year in relation to mobile phone manuals.

I don’t know why in Q1SQ2 they didn’t offer as one of the answers that it is quicker to look up the internet or an electronic manual, or even just phone the support line. I’d love to have seen data for both these actions

Research results

Q1: Have you got a manual for your personal computer? (Sample size=300)

Yes (to SQ1)	68.7%
Yes, but I’ve thrown them away (to SQ1)	8.3%
No, because self-built PC	8.0%
No, for other reason	4.0%
Don’t know	11.0%

Q1SQ1: Have you ever read the manual for your personal computer? (Sample size=231)

Often	3.9%
Sometimes	32.5%
Almost never (to SQ2)	52.8%
Never (to SQ2)	10.8%

Q1SQ2: What is the main reason why you have never or rarely read the manual for your personal computer? (Sample size=147)

Know enough without reading	66.0%
Won’t understand even if I read	17.0%
Threw them away without reading	0.0%
Other	3.4%
No particular reason	13.6%