世論 What Japan Thinks

Here’s a quicky on New Year resolutions, in particular on what qualifications Japanese would like to try to get in 2008. This survey was presented by goo Ranking.

Demographics

Over the 21st and 22nd of November 2007 1,101 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% of the sample was female, 6.2% in their teens, 15.4% in their twenties, 30.2% in their thirties, 27.1% in their forties, 11.0% in their fifties, and 10.3% aged sixty or older. Note that the score reported is the relative number of votes each choice got, not the percentage of the sample that chose each option.

I too want to do the second choice, the Kanji Kentei! It’s surprisingly fun to study, and a good excuse to buy a Nintendo DS to help with your study. Sadly, none of the tests that I featured in an earlier article made the cut! Also note that the word kentei, 検定, is the Japanese for examination, but it also has implications of being an exam with various grades. Regarding getting English qualifications, Let’s Japan had an interesting article on the chain school market.

Ranking results

Q: What qualification would you like to try to obtain in 2008?

Rank	Qualification	Score
1	TOEIC (Test Of English In Communication)	100
2	Kanji brainpower kentei	96.9
3	P-Ken – Personal computer test	61.8
4	Financial planner	58.8
5	Introduction to system administration	44.3
6	Bookkeeping kentei	42.7
7	Notary public	42.0
8	Japanese language kentei	33.6
9	Interior coordinator	27.5
10	Consumer lifestyle advisor	24.4
11	TOEFL – Test Of English as a Foreign Language	24.4
12	Judicial clerk	20.6
13	Word processor kentei	17.6
14	Consumer lifestyle consultant	16.8
15	Bookkeeping brainpower kentei	14.5
16	Bond Analyst	11.5
17	Certified public accountant	10.7
18	Tax counsellor	9.9
19	Bookkeeping practice kentei	9.9
20	English accountancy kentei	7.6