世論 What Japan Thinks

I use a built-in water purifier for drinking water at home, so consumption of mineral water is limited to the occasional half-litre bottle at the weekends when going out. To see how the Japanese use it, DIMSDRIVE Research conducted a survey into this topic of mineral water.

Demographics

Between the 19th and 27th of March 2008 8,383 members of the DIMSDRIVE Monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.9% of the sample were female, 1.3% in their teens, 14.9% in their twenties, 33.3% in their thirties, 29.9% in their forties, 14.7% in their fifties, and 5.9% aged sixty or older. 51.7% lived in a house, 47.0% in a flat (apartment), and 1.3% other. By family size, 13.0% lived alone, 23.8% with one other, 25.1% with two others, 24.1% with three others, and 14.0% with four or more other people.

The pictured bottle sounds even less appealing than the Engrish standbys of Pocari Sweat and Calpis, but it’s actually mineral water for your four-legged friend, not Dogpis!

Getting back on track, my purchased brand is determined by seeing which one is 110 yen in the convenience store, although I can’t remember the brand right now, but it is a Japanese one. I’ve tried the oxygenised water a couple of times, but I didn’t really notice any difference.

Research results

Q1: Do you usually drink or use mineral water? (well water, water purifiers excepted; pure water from supermarkets, etc excepted) (Sample size=8,383)

Yes	46.2%
No (to Q10)	53.3%
Don’t know (to end of survey)	0.5%

By area, not surprisingly the most heavily built-up areas, the Kanto region around Tokyo and the Kinki region around Osaka had the two highest percentages of drinkers or users, but in third place was the very rural northern island of Hokkaido.

By family size, the larger the family the less likely they were to drink or use mineral water.

Q2: How do you drink or use mineral water? (Sample size=3,873, multiple answer)

As ordinary drinking water	84.7%
Use in coffee, tea, etc	27.1%
Drink when doing sports, in the bath	26.0%
Drink with medicines	23.9%
Add to alcohol	22.1%
Use for rice, other cooking	20.7%
Use for diluting concentrated drinks	17.2%
Make ice	15.5%
Stockpile for emergencies	14.5%
Use for make-up, etc	1.5%
Use for face washing, bath	0.9%
Other	1.7%

Q3: Why do you drink or use mineral water? (Sample size=3,873, multiple answer)

Because I like the taste, it’s easy to drink	62.6%
Because I don’t like tap water	38.6%
Because I feel tap water is unsafe	27.5%
Because it’s full of minerals	30.6%
Because it’s safe	24.7%
Because it’s good for beauty, health	21.4%
Because it makes food, tea, alcohol tasty	18.1%
Because it’s reasonably priced	17.6%
For weight loss	8.5%
Because television, magazine, internet, etc recommended it	0.9%
Other	3.5%
No particular reason	4.5%

Q4: About how often do you buy mineral water? (Sample size=3,873)

Almost every day	15.4%
Three to five times a week	10.5%
One or two times a week	26.3%
Twice or thrice a month	19.2%
Once a month	14.7%
Once every two or three months	6.2%
Once every six months	1.7%
Less than that	1.0%
Don’t know	1.5%
Don’t buy (to end of survey)	3.5%

Q5: Where do you buy mineral water? (Sample size=3,676, multiple answer)

Supermarket	58.7%
Convenience store	38.4%
Discount store, home centre	28.2%
Drugstore	23.7%
Vending machine	19.1%
Internet	12.8%
100 yen, 99 yen shop	9.1%
Railway station, etc kiosk	6.2%
Cooperative	6.0%
Off-licence (liquor store)	4.2%
Other delivery service	2.8%
Other	3.0%
Don’t know	0.4%

Q6: How do you most often buy mineral water? (Sample size=3,676)

Up to 500 ml PET, glass bottle	19.9%
Up to 500 ml multiple PET, glass bottles	5.2%
Up to 500 ml case of PET, glass bottles	1.6%
500 ml to under 1 litre PET, glass bottle	8.8%
500 ml to under 1 litre multiple PET, glass bottles	2.3%
500 ml to under 1 litre case of PET, glass bottles	2.6%
1 litre or more PET, glass bottle	12.1%
1 litre or more multiple PET, glass bottles	12.4%
1 litre or more case of PET, glass bottles	28.2%
Tank or other container (to end of survey)	5.5%
Other (to end of survey)	0.9%
Don’t know (to end of survey)	0.5%

Q7: What brand of mineral water do you most often buy? (Sample size=3,421)

Suntory Tennensui (Southern Alps)	16.5%
Volvic	11.9%
Rokko no Oishii Mizu	11.8%
Alkali Ion Water	7.7%
Evian	7.3%
Contrex	5.9%
Mori no Mizu Dayori	5.6%
Fujisan no Vanadium Tennensui	4.0%
Vittel	2.3%
Perrier	1.7%
Hita Tenryosui	1.6%
S. Pellegrino	0.8%
Suntory 100% Deep Sea water	0.7%
San Benedetto	0.4%
Oshimizu Gensui	0.4%
Valvert	0.1%
WATTWILLER	0.1%
Alaska Glacier Cap	0.0%
Other	4.4%
None in particular	11.3%

Japanese water was significantly more popular with older people, with Rokko water being around 2.5 times more popular with the over sixties versus those in their twenties, 19.5% versus 7.5% or so. On the other hand, Volvic most clearly displayed the reverse trend.

Q8: What point are important when buying mineral water? (Sample size=3,421, multiple answer)

Price	58.9%
Taste	49.8%
Hardness or softness	27.8%
Brand, maker	20.5%
Volume	19.7%
Country, area of origin	17.9%
High degree of safety	15.9%
Good for health	13.2%
Mineral composition	12.7%
Functionality (alkali, oxygenated, etc)	11.4%
Easy to absorb, kind to body	7.9%
Brand image	7.7%
Good for beauty	7.5%
Package design	6.5%
WOrd of mouth, evaluation	5.9%
Still or gassy	3.6%
Other	0.9%
Nothing in particular	7.5%

By brand, the most interesting figures were for Contrex, which was being selected by 60.9% for its hardness, 37.1% for the mineral composition, and 41.1% for the beauty benefits.

Q9: Which do you prefer, hard, medium or soft water? (Sample size=3,421)

Hard	14.6%
Medium hard	10.6%
Soft	36.7%
Not fussy, anything is OK	33.0%
Don’t know	5.1%

This is the end of the questions for mineral water drinkers. The following question is for non-drinkers only.

Q10: Why do you not drink, use mineral water? (Sample size=4,464, multiple answer)

Expensive	37.3%
Don’t have a habit of buying water	34.1%
Use a plumbed-in water purifier	32.4%
Don’t feel tap water is unsafe	25.6%
Bothersome to buy	25.3%
Like the taste of tap water, well water, etc	18.7%
Boil tap water, well water, etc	6.6%
Use a water purifying jug	4.5%
Use charcoal or other water purifying items	2.8%
Don’t like the taste of mineral water	1.6%
Mineral-free water is good	0.7%
Other	4.9%
No particular reason	5.0%