世論 What Japan Thinks

Chocolate; I couldn’t live without it. Although last year I looked at a number of chocolate-related surveys, and with Valentine’s Day coming up soon I’ll no doubt look again next month, I hope that like me, you just can’t get enough of chocolate even in survey form, as in this report from MyVoice on chocolate image.

Demographics

Over the first five days of December 2007 14,628 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 40% in their thirties, 27% in their forties, and 15% in their fifties.

In Q6, I’ve heard various bits of quackery associated with chocolate, but never that it protects against tooth decay or hayfever!

What’s your favourite Japanese chocolate-based snack? I’m a Pocky person, although I don’t eat it as much as I’d like.

Research results

Q1: Do you like chocolate? (Sample size=14,628)

Like it	61.0%
Like it to some extent	26.4%
Don’t care either way	8.9%
Dislike it to some extent	2.5%
Dislike it	1.2%

Q2: What kinds of chocolate do you like? (Sample size=14,628, multiple answer)

Milk chocolate, cream chocolate	48.2%
Fresh chocolate	43.2%
Bitter chocolate, dark chocolate	40.7%
Chocolate with nuts	33.6%
Chocolate truffle	31.0%
Pan-work chocolate, chocolate-based sweets like Smarties, chocolate M&M’s	26.4%
White chocolate	25.1%
Enrobing chocolate, chocolate-coated sweets like Kit-Kats	22.0%
Chocolate snack, Koala no March is one Japanese example	20.8%
Ganache, thick chocolate and cream mix found usually in cakes and other desserts	14.5%
Pure chocoloate, cocoa butter only or cocoa mass and cocoa butter only	14.2%
Functional chocolate, Gaba is one popular form	8.5%
Chocolate bon-bons	7.8%
Hand-made chocolate	7.3%
Shell chocolate, shell of melted then set chocolate over other foods	5.8%
Other	1.1%
Love all types of chocolate	11.3%
No particular type I like	4.6%
No answer	0.1%

Q3: At what sorts of times do you often eat chocolate? (Sample size=14,628, multiple answer)

As a snack	68.4%
When tired	62.6%
When I want something sweet	56.3%
When I get a little empty stomach	32.1%
Just when I want something in my mouth	26.9%
When spending time with my family	19.0%
When feeling overwhelmed with stress	15.8%
When gathering with friends	15.4%
As a snack with alcohol	14.3%
At my desk at work	13.7%
To enjoy some time with myself	9.3%
When engaged in outdoor or leisure activities	8.6%
At a home party	6.9%
When driving	3.7%
When sleepy	2.5%
After sports	2.4%
When I have some extra money	2.2%
On special days	1.9%
Other	2.0%
No particular time	6.7%
No answer	0.2%

Q4: When eating chocolate, what do you often drink along with it? (Sample size=14,628, multiple answer)

Coffee	55.1%
Black tea	28.4%
Green tea	21.8%
Oolong tea	12.3%
Whisky	6.7%
Fruit juice	6.0%
Carbonated drink	5.5%
Mineral water	5.2%
Wine	5.0%
Beer, beer-like drinks	4.4%
Chuhai, shochu	3.4%
Brandy	3.2%
Sake	0.8%
Other	5.8%
No particular drinks	18.6%
No answer	0.3%

Q5: Do you buy chocolate for you to eat yourself? (Sample size=14,628)

Often buy for myself	30.8%
Sometimes buy for myself	43.9%
Rarely buy for myself	18.9%
Never buy for myself	5.3%
No answer	1.0%

Q6: There are many opinions and reasons related to chocolate. From the following list, select those that you know about, agree with, or do, etc. (Sample size=14,628)

Buy and store as a snack	48.7%
Never fails to cheer me up	24.8%
Buy as a treat for myself	22.9%
Can get me over mental stress	18.5%
Buy it as a gift to a special person	17.7%
Smell effective for heightening my mental faculties	10.5%
It’s part of my daily routine	8.8%
A food with dreams or romance	8.1%
There are memories associated with chocolate	7.6%
Effective against arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries	6.6%
It’s a product that allows me to express my feelings to a special someone	5.2%
Rich in minerals	5.0%
Buy it for family celebrations	3.8%
The food of the gods	2.6%
Contains ingredients effective against tooth decay	1.7%
Effective against hayfever	1.4%
None of the above	23.3%
No answer	0.6%