世論 What Japan Thinks

This recent survey from Point On Research and reported on by japan.internet.com looked at the rather interesting issue of answering mobile phone calls.

Demographics

On the 24th of November 2009 800 mobile phone users completed a private mobile internet-based questionnaire (I think). The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, 25.0% in their teens, 25.0% in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, and 25.0% in their forties.

Note that just about all mobile phones in Japan will display the calling number, and if the caller is registered in the phone book the name will also display, which I guess is a pretty standard mobile feature all over the world! Calls from public phone boxes will display as number unknown, as well as people who dial a prefix to hide their caller ID.

For unknown numbers, there are a few databases of nuisance callers for you to check. The fastest way I find is to type the number straight into Google with no spaces or hyphens, and if a match (in Japanese of course!) comes up from one of these databases you can know it’s an unsolicited call. I’d give you a URL or two, but I don’t have them bookmarked as I always use the search method!

Research results

Q1: When you cannot answer your mobile phone, what do you most often do? (Sample size=800)

When I have a break at work, etc, call back	44.1%
It might be urgent, so call back immediately	21.9%
Send an email to see what the matter is	16.5%
Call back when I feel like it	10.0%
Wait for the other person to call again	5.6%
Don’t call back	0.8%
Other	1.1%

Q2: When the person you’re calling doesn’t answer, what do you most often do? (Sample size=800)

If they don’t answer the first time, wait for them to get back to me	33.8%
If they don’t answer the second time, wait for them to get back to me	20.3%
If they don’t answer after a number of times, wait for them to get back to me	11.1%
Keep calling until they answer	1.1%
Send an email instead	32.0%
Other	1.8%

Q3: When you get a call from a no caller ID or unknown number, what do you most often do? (Sample size=800)

Just don’t answer	42.5%
Soon answer regardless	16.4%
Answer if they call twice or more	15.6%
Set mobile phone to block the number	15.4%
Check the number via internet search	7.5%
Other	2.6%