世論 What Japan Thinks

Once again we have the results of the regular monthly surveys from goo Research and as reported by japan.internet.com into mobile phone upgrade needs, with this being the 45th time around.

Demographics

Between the 13th and 17th of April 2009 exactly 1,000 mobile phone users from the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.7% of the sample were female, 1.1% in their teens, 19.1% in their twenties, 37.2% in their thirties, 24.2% in their forties, and 18.4% aged fifty or older.

As a comparison, the fortieth regular survey, translated here, also looked at what was important when choosing what to upgrade to. There design was the key feature, but now it is price, suggesting that the current financial uncertainties are weighing heavy in potential upgraders’ minds.

Research results

Q1: Which mobile phone carrier do you use? If more than one, choose the one you use the most. (Sample size=1,000)

NTT docomo	48.9%
au by KDDI	27.5%
SoftBank	18.4%
Willcom	4.1%
E-Mobile	1.1%

Q2: Select which of the following are important when upgrading your mobile phone. (Sample size=1,000, multiple answer)

Handset price	65.9%
Design	64.4%
Usability	32.5%
Size	30.5%
Handset type (clamshell, slider, etc)	27.4%
Display	24.4%
Weight	24.1%
Camera spec, functions	24.1%
Voice call costs	23.8%
Service provider, carrier	23.2%
Additional functions (One seg, GPS, etc)	22.5%
Data transmission costs	18.0%
Maker, brand	17.5%
Battery life	15.3%
Supported services	13.4%
Ease of connecting	13.3%
Internal memory size	13.0%
Character entry functions	11.6%
Transmission speed	10.5%
Voice quality	9.5%
Other	2.0%
None in particular	1.4%

Q3: Select which of the services from the list below whose presence or absense is important when upgrading your mobile phone. (Sample size=1,000, multiple answer)

Unlimited data plan	45.9%
Decoration mail (font styling, animated icons, etc)	13.4%
MP3-quality ring tunes	12.8%
Ring tones	12.6%
GPS navigation	12.1%
International roaming	10.3%
Video download	7.1%
Flash support	6.2%
Push to Talk (walkie-talkie mode)	0.2%
Other	0.6%
None in particular	36.7%

Q4: How long have you been using your current mobile phone? (Sample size=1,000)

Less than a month	3.7%
Less than three months	6.3%
Less than six months	9.2%
Less than a year	13.3%
Less than two years	36.0%
Two years or more	30.8%
Don’t remember	0.7%