世論 What Japan Thinks

Let’s look at another curious corner of Japanese life, the use of ballpoint pens, in a survey conducted by DIMSDRIVE Research.

Demographics

Between the 19th of August and the 3rd of September 2009 11,182 members of the DIMSDRIVE monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.8% of the sample were male, 0.9% in their teens, 10.8% in their twenties, 32.5% in their thirties, 31.6% in their forties, 16.7% in their fifties, and 7.5% aged sixty or older.

I don’t buy any pens, instead I usually fremantle them on business trips.

Coincidentally, when looking at this year’s nengajo New Year postcars my wife did remark on how a couple of them that had been hand-written with fine point ballpoint pens looked very neat, and how she wanted to buy a similar pen.

Research results

Q1: About how often do you use a ballpoint pen? (Sample size=11,182)

Almost every day	65.2%
Three to five days a week	20.5%
One or two days a week	9.4%
Two or three days a month	2.1%
One day a month	0.8%
One day every two or three months	0.4%
Less than that	1.0%
Don’t use ballpoint pens (to Q9)	0.6%

By kind of work, those in senior management or board-lever were the most likely to use a ballpoint pen almost every day, with 80.1% saying they did. They were followed by specialists and food and science-related technical people. The least likely to use them were perhaps not suprisingly IT and communications people, with just 51.9% writing with pens every day. Next lowest were creative people at 58.5%, perhaps as they would choose different implements for writing and sketching at work?

Q2: When do you use a ballpoint pen? (Sample size=11,111, multiple answer)

When I want to record something (telephone memo, etc)	70.0%
At work	67.3%
When signing something	59.3%
When filling in an application, producing other document	55.9%
When writing a letter, postcard	47.4%
When writing in a diary, notebook	41.1%
When I don’t have a computer, mobile phone to hand	29.8%
When studying	18.2%
Other	2.2%

Q3: Which maker’s ballpoint pens do you use the most? (Sample size=11,111)

Zebra	20.3%
Mitsubishi	16.2%
Pilot	15.9%
Pentel	2.9%
Shop own-brand	2.2%
Tombow	2.0%
Other foreign brand	1.3%
Sailor	0.8%
Other	1.7%
Don’t know	36.7%

Zebra was more popular with older people, whereas for Mitsubishi it was young people.

Q4: How much do you pay for the ballpoint pens you use the most? (Sample size=11,111)

Under 100 yen	10.6%
100 to 199 yen	58.3%
200 to 299 yen	12.5%
300 to 399 yen	5.7%
400 to 499 yen	0.8%
500 to 599 yen	4.0%
600 to 699 yen	0.3%
700 to 799 yen	0.3%
800 to 899 yen	0.3%
900 to 999 yen	0.0%
1,000 to 1,999 yen	1.3%
2,000 to 4,999 yen	0.7%
5,000 to 9,999 yen	0.4%
10,000 yen or more	0.5%

Q5: What aspects of the ballpoint pen you use the most do you like? (Sample size=11,111, multiple answer)

Smoothness when writing	59.2%
How well the ink flows	42.3%
Ease of holding	41.2%
Diameter of ball point	25.8%
Not tiring to write with	20.8%
Ink doesn’t smudge easily	20.1%
Doesn’t leave an ink blob on starting to write	18.9%
Grip material	12.5%
Long-lasting ink	11.6%
Has refills	11.4%
Maker, brand	5.7%
Design, character branding	5.4%
Image of poshness	3.0%
Is eco-friendly product	1.9%
Other	2.2%
No particular points I like	16.8%

Q6: Where do you buy ballpoint pens? (Sample size=11,111, multiple answer)

100 yen shop, 99 yen shop, etc	31.4%
Stationery shop	27.4%
Home centre, discount centre	26.3%
Supermarket	19.2%
Book shop stationery corner	17.3%
Convenience store	16.1%
Bought by work	12.3%
Loft, Tokyu Hands, other craft superstore	11.0%
Office supply mail order	5.4%
Department store	3.3%
Internet shop	2.9%
Other	1.9%
Bought through work, school	2.4%
Don’t buy ballpoint pens (to Q8)	9.7%

Q7: Regarding how you buy ballpoint pens, which of the following apply to you? (Sample size=10,032, multiple answer)

I always try them out in the shop	29.3%
I buy lots of different maker, brands of pens	24.1%
I buy a lot of pens at once	17.0%
I always buy the same pen	15.0%
I buy the cheapest pens	14.1%
Nothing in particular	25.4%

Q8: What ballpoint pen bad habits can you not break? (Sample size=11,111, multiple answer)

Clicking the button	34.0%
Pen spinning	14.8%
Doodling	12.9%
Holding pen between fingers and waving it	8.2%
Attaching and detaching the cap	6.0%
Disassembling the pen	5.3%
Scratching face, head with pen	2.0%
Putting pen behind ear	1.4%
Holding pen between upper lip and nose	1.0%
Smelling the end of the pen	0.7%
Other	0.6%
Nothing in particular	49.0%

What, no chewing the end of the pen?

Q9: In the last several years, which of the following have changed from handwriting to computers for you? (Sample size=11,128, multiple answer)

Nengajo New Year postcards	51.7%
Business documents	22.7%
Schedule	17.2%
Minutes, memos	16.2%
Letters, postcards	14.8%
Diary, journal	9.9%
Other	1.2%
Nothing in particular	33.2%