世論 What Japan Thinks

Following on, I suppose, from the recent survey on bowel movements, MyVoice performed another survey, this time on perhaps one of the aftermaths of bowel movements, smells.

Demographics

Over the first five days of November 2007 19,910 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online survey. 54% of the sample was female, 1% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 28% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.

In Q4 surely there must be a degree of respect for elders going on! Three or four of my bosses at work have spent many years perfecting that exquisite combination of stale beer, ciggies, coffee, natto, and general mouth rancidness that make my eyes water at twenty paces!

It might be interesting to cross-reference this against another MyVoice survey from a year and a half ago on deodorants.

Oh, and I haven’t a clue in Q5 and Q6 what a table is supposed to smell of!

Research results

Q1: How sensitive are you to smells? (Sample size=19,910)

Very sensitive	25.7%
Somewhat sensitive	50.8%
Not really sensitive	21.2%
Not sensitive at all	2.2%

Q2: What sort of places do you usually feel are smelly? (Sample size=19,910, multiple answer)

Toilet	74.3%
Hospital	53.7%
Kitchen, dining room	52.4%
Entrance	41.4%
Own car	38.7%
Taxi	38.3%
Bathroom	36.6%
Pachinko hall	36.5%
Train	33.5%
Bus	31.2%
Onsen, hot springs	30.7%
Restaurant	30.2%
Cafe, coffee shop	29.5%
Swimming pool	28.8%
Living room	28.5%
Cupboard, closet	28.1%
Bedroom	27.2%
Game centre	25.3%
Washroom	25.1%
Railway, underground station	23.0%
Hotel, inn	22.5%
Friend’s house	21.7%
Cinema, theatre, concert hall	20.9%
Work, school	19.1%
Department store, supermarket	18.1%
Bookshop	17.4%
Library	15.7%
Own room	14.3%
Other vehicle	10.8%
Sports ground	6.4%
Other	4.8%
Nowhere in particular	2.1%

Q3: What colour is your image of everyday smells you dislike? (Sample size=19,910, multiple answer)

Brown	51.5%
Ash	48.1%
Black	18.8%
Yellow	12.5%
Purple	6.4%
Greenish yellow	3.8%
Orange	2.2%
Green	1.8%
Red	1.5%
Pink	1.5%
White	1.1%
Blue	1.0%
Aqua blue	0.4%
Other	6.7%

Q4: Whose smell are you often concerned about? (Sample size=19,910, multiple answer)

Myself	39.5%
Spouse	22.2%
Work colleague, subordinate	14.5%
Boss	13.5%
Father	11.6%
Friend	8.9%
Mother	6.1%
Baby	4.6%
Lover	3.8%
Someone I fancy	2.9%
Grandmother	2.6%
Grandfather	2.0%
Brother	2.0%
Relative	1.3%
Sister	1.2%
Teacher, lecturer	0.9%
Schoolfriend	0.8%
Other	15.1%
No-one in particular	24.4%
No answer	0.3%

Q5: What smells bother you? (Sample size=19,910, multiple answer)

Sweat	59.2%
Smell of old people	50.8%
Pillow	35.0%
Refrigerator	28.9%
Burn smell	26.9%
Correction fluid, nail varnish, other acetone	26.6%
Wool blanket, quilt	25.1%
Food smell from extraction fan	25.1%
Kerosene heater	24.2%
Smell after rainfall	19.7%
Air-conditioner	19.7%
Pet	19.6%
Rain on hot concrete, asphalt	17.1%
Incense	16.9%
Fan heater	15.3%
Damp cloth	14.7%
Leather	14.3%
Freezer	14.2%
Sea	13.2%
Medical products	12.5%
Freshly-lit match	12.4%
Carpet	11.3%
Wood	10.7%
Inside a bag	9.4%
Mountain	8.8%
Tatami straw matting	7.0%
Spring	6.8%
Ink	6.1%
Summer	5.8%
Autumn	5.8%
Winter	5.4%
Paper	4.2%
Table	1.6%
Other	12.9%
Nothing in particular	4.3%
No answer	0.2%

Q6: What smells do you like? (Sample size=19,910, multiple answer)

Mountain	41.4%
Sea	32.7%
Spring	31.1%
Wood	26.8%
Autumn	23.4%
Tatami straw matting	19.2%
Winter	17.6%
Incence	17.1%
Summer	17.1%
Smell after rainfall	16.0%
Freshly-lit match	14.6%
Rain on hot concrete, asphalt	6.5%
Paper	5.9%
Medical products	5.8%
Damp cloth	5.6%
Wool blanket, quilt	5.0%
Ink	4.9%
Leather	4.5%
Food smell from extraction fan	4.2%
Correction fluid, nail varnish, other acetone	3.9%
Kerosene heater	3.3%
Pillow	3.1%
Pet	2.3%
Burn smell	1.1%
Sweat	0.5%
Air-conditioner	0.4%
Fan heater	0.3%
Inside a bag	0.3%
Carpet	0.2%
Smell of old people	0.2%
Freezer	0.2%
Table	0.2%
Refrigerator	0.2%
Other	5.9%
Nothing in particular	14.6%
No answer	0.4%

Q7: What measures do you take against everyday smells? (Sample size=19,910, multiple answer)

Diligently air rooms	41.9%
Use deodorant	38.3%
Take measures against bodily odours	37.0%
Diligently wash clothes	35.9%
Take measures against mouth odours	30.5%
Diligently use shampoo	24.9%
Use aromatic products	24.7%
Diligently dry clothes and quilts	22.7%
Check my own body smells	20.6%
Use air purifier	18.0%
Use room fragrance or aroma candles	14.2%
Use air freshener	12.9%
Have a shower before going out	10.3%
Check other people’s smells	1.7%
Other	1.4%
Nothing in prticular	16.6%
No answer	0.5%