世論 What Japan Thinks

A pet hate of mine is that in the UK the idea that you don’t store meats or fish over fresh vegetables is common knowledge, yet despite many television programs on the contents of people’s fridges I’ve never heard a word of warning about this in Japan. To find out what things the Japanese do, MyVoice conducted a survey into how people store food.

Demographics

Over the first five days of May 2008 14,241 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% were in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.

Cling film reminds me of an awful series of advertisements that would get banned in the UK, as they feature a kid of around ten years old running around with cling film, wrapping things at random, and using static electricity on the film to attract her hair.

Research results

Q1: Select which of the following is close to your thinking, or is something you do. (Sample size=14,241, multiple answer)

I am sure to be punctual	65.4%
I don’t break promises	49.2%
Don’t throw things away even though I haven’t used them for a period of time	47.6%
I double-check thinks	40.8%
I’m bothered by spilt food at meals	40.8%
Doors left open bother me	39.0%
I put things back after I use them	37.3%
I throw away most things I stop using	34.1%
I take care to ventilate rooms	31.2%
I often take notes	24.3%
I bother about how books are arranged on shelves	20.7%
When shopping at a supermarket, I don’t buy unnecessary things	20.4%
I am particular about tidying up and cleaning at home	16.5%
I can’t relax if there’s things to be tidied up	16.4%
My home, room is always neatly tidied up	13.7%
I do things according to the manual	13.3%
Inside cupboards and drawers are arranged for easy access	13.2%
I’m confident about my tidying-up skills	6.8%
I often rearrange the furniture	5.4%
None of the above	3.5%
No answer	0.1%

Q2: What is your usual meal style at home? (Sample size=14,241)

Usually cook for myself	48.1%
Family usually does the cooking for me	42.8%
Usually buy prepared meals, delivery food	6.3%
Usually eat out	1.7%
Other	1.1%

Q3: How often do you cook at home? (Sample size=14,241)

Almost always three meals a day	26.0%
One or two meals a day	28.3%
Several times a week	15.1%
Less than that	17.5%
Don’t cook myself	13.1%

Q4: How do you store fresh meat, fish, etc? (Sample size=14,241, multiple answer)

Use plastic wrap (cling film)	70.4%
Use the packaging it came in when bought	40.0%
Use a zip lock vinyl bag	36.8%
Use a plastic box (Tupperware, etc)	27.5%
Use a vinyl bag, checkout bag	18.6%
Use aluminium foil	3.5%
Use wrapping paper, newspaper	3.3%
I prepare it so it will keep	2.0%
Other	1.3%
Don’t know	5.7%
Throw almost everything out (to Q6SQ)	0.3%
Don’t do shopping, so don’t save	3.0%
Don’t have left-overs, so don’t save	3.0%
No answer	0.2%

Q5: How do you store fresh fruit, vegetables, etc? (Sample size=14,241, multiple answer)

Use plastic wrap (cling film)	41.9%
Use a vinyl bag, checkout bag	41.3%
Use the packaging it came in when bought	33.3%
Use wrapping paper, newspaper	24.6%
Use a zip lock vinyl bag	20.0%
Don’t use anything and just store it as is	16.9%
Use a plastic box (Tupperware, etc)	13.4%
I prepare it so it will keep	2.0%
Use aluminium foil	1.1%
Other	1.7%
Don’t know	5.8%
Throw almost everything out (to Q6SQ)	0.3%
Don’t do shopping, so don’t save	2.6%
Don’t have left-overs, so don’t save	2.3%
No answer	0.3%

Q6: How do you store cooked food, lunch boxes, and other prepared foodstuff? (Sample size=14,241, multiple answer)

Use plastic wrap (cling film)	62.8%
Use a plastic box (Tupperware, etc)	52.2%
Use a zip lock vinyl bag	18.0%
Use the packaging it came in when bought	16.6%
Use a pan or other cooking implement	11.9%
Use a vinyl bag, checkout bag	5.9%
Use aluminium foil	3.9%
Use wrapping paper, newspaper	0.8%
Other	2.0%
Don’t know	4.5%
Throw almost everything out (to Q6SQ)	0.9%
Don’t do shopping, so don’t save	2.1%
Don’t have left-overs, so don’t save	6.8%
No answer	0.4

Q6SQ: Why do you throw out left-over food? (Sample size=those who throw most food out, multiple answer)

Worried about hygiene, safety	39.9%
Use by/best before date passes before I use it all	24.1%
Couldn’t eat it all even if I stored it	21.5%
Food loses its freshness, taste	19.6%
Too much trouble to store	8.9%
Don’t like eating the same thing two days in a row	7.6%