世論 What Japan Thinks

goo Research published another interesting look at earthquake-related changes in society, this time support for the disaster-hit areas and changes in values.

Demographics

Between the 22nd and 27th of April 2011 1,000 members of the goo Research monitor panel from all areas of Japan except those directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, and 20.0% of the sample were in their twenties, 20.0% in their thirties, 20.0% in their forties, 20.0% in their fifties, and 20.0% aged sixty or older.

In Q3, probably the thing I’ve most become aware of is who supplies information, in particular the dreadful job much of the foreign English-language press made of reporting on Fukushima specifically.

Research results

Q1: What did you do to support the disaster-hit areas? (Sample size=1,000, multiple answer)

Donated money (to SQ1 to SQ5)	80.1%
Bought some goods, services related to supporting the disaster-hit areas (to SQ6)	21.6%
Bought some goods produced in the disaster-hit areas	12.1%
Offered some items in support of the disaster-hit areas	8.8%
Volunteered, went myself to support the disaster-hit areas	1.2%
Nothing in particular	12.9%

Significantly more women than men (about a 2:1 ratio) bought goods or services in support of, or produced in the disaster-hit areas. On the other hand, twice as many men as women did nothing at all.

Q1SQ1: What kind of donations did you make? (Sample size=801, multiple answer)

General donations	86.6%
Direct activity support	5.6%
Not sure which	11.4%

Q1SQ2: What kind of activities did you donate money to? (Sample size=801, multiple answer)

Ongoing support to victims	74.2%
Emergency aid to victims	71.0%
Aid to companies to restart business	23.5%
Aid to companies to rebuild assets	15.7%
Disaster support volunteer activities	15.4%
Disaster support organisations	15.0%
Other	1.1%

Q1SQ3: In total, how much did you donate? (Sample size=801)

	This year’s earthquake	Last year
Nothing at all	0.0%	49.6%
Up to 99 yen	5.1%	3.1%
100 to 199 yen	4.5%	3.2%
200 to 499 yen	5.4%	6.1%
500 to 999 yen	17.9%	10.4%
1,000 to 1,499 yen	15.9%	6.2%
1,500 to 1,999 yen	5.4%	3.6%
2,000 to 4,999 yen	16.2%	8.5%
5,000 to 9,999 yen	11.4%	3.4%
10,000 to 49,999 yen	15.4%	4.0%
50,000 to 99,999 yen	1.7%	1.0%
100,000 yen or more	1.2%	0.9%

Q1SQ4: What do you think are easy ways to donate money? (Sample size=801, multiple answer)

Donating saved points	57.1%
At collection boxes at supermarkets, convenience stores, etc	43.6%
To street collectors	33.3%
By transfers at bank, post office	24.2%
With credit card	15.0%
By telephone	15.0%
Other	3.9%

Q1SQ5: Which of the following donation methods would you like to use? (Sample size=801, multiple answer)

	Really want to	Perhaps want to	Don’t really want to	Don’t want to at all
When paying at the register, donating an amount based on the payment	20.5%	45.6%	19.5%	14.5%
When paying at the register, deciding myself an amount to donate	9.2%	36.7%	32.5%	21.6%
Donating an amount based on last month’s credit card statement	8.1%	25.2%	34.7%	32.0%
Deciding myself how much to donating when paying last month’s credit card statement	6.2%	24.0%	35.6%	34.2%
Donating points based on the amount outstanding at the end of the month	10.6%	36.7%	30.8%	21.8%
Deciding myself how many points to donate at the end of the month	7.9%	33.6%	34.6%	24.0%
Donating from an online bank an amount based on the outstanding balance at the end of the month	2.6%	13.2%	38.0%	46.2%
Deciding myself how much to donate from an online bank at the end of the month	3.0%	14.6%	37.7%	44.7%

Q1SQ6: What kinds of goods, services did you purchase, spend money on? (Sample size=216, multiple answer)

Supermarket goods	28.2%
Foodstuff	17.1%
Eating, drinking establishment	13.0%
Clothes	11.1%
IT services (internet media)	11.1%
Mail order goods	11.1%
Convenience store goods	9.7%
Daily-use products	6.9%
Drinks	6.5%
IT services (games)	6.0%
Delivery	4.6%
Leisure	4.2%
Luxury items	3.7%
Medical products	2.8%
Department store goods	2.8%
IT services (systems, software)	2.3%
Electrical goods	1.4%
Toys	0.9%
Cosmetics	0.5%
Financial services	0.0%
Furniture	0.0%
Other	3.2%
Don’t remember	15.7%

Q2: Where do you get your information about the disaster-hit areas from? (Sample size=1,000, top five answers)

Rank		Percentage
1	Television	95.1%
2	Newspapers	57.0%
3	Internet portal, news site	49.6%
4	Radio	21.3%
5	Internet corporate site	17.9%

For those in their twenties and thirties the internet was the second choice source, newspapers third, whereas it was the revese for those forty and older. Furthermore, SNS, Twitter and other social media was fourth for those in their twenties and fifth for those in their thirties.

Q3: How has your sense of values changed since the earthquake? (Sample size=1,000, multiple answer)

	Become important	Become a bit more important	Not changed	Become a bit less important	Become unimportant
Quality of items, services I purchase	5.2%	21.1%	72.8%	0.7%	0.2%
Corporate information publication	6.4%	23.0%	69.6%	0.8%	0.2%
Corporate contribution to society	8.6%	32.5%	57.5%	1.3%	0.6%
Awareness of helping neighbours	5.2%	25.7%	67.8%	1.0%	0.3%
Keeping in touch with family, friends	14.6%	32.9%	51.7%	0.8%	0.0%
Awareness of belonging to a company, union	3.6%	16.4%	76.9%	2.5%	0.6%
Work’s contribution to society	5.3%	23.9%	69.3%	1.2%	0.3%
Work’s preservation of the environment	5.9%	20.7%	72.4%	0.8%	0.2%
Work’s elimination of waste	9.1%	25.5%	64.0%	1.0%	0.4%
Contribution to society of my everyday life	7.8%	32.8%	58.5%	1.2%	0.7%
Protection of the environment in my everyday life	9.0%	31.6%	58.7%	0.4%	0.3%
Elmination of waste in my everyday life	15.9%	39.8%	43.4%	0.7%	0.2%
Who provides information	13.7%	30.8%	54.8%	0.7%	0.0%
Sharing information with others	10.4%	28.2%	60.2%	1.2%	0.0%

Breaking down the data above by age and sex to see what has become important, for almost all ages it was eliminating waste in their daily lives; the exceptions were for women in their twenties where it was keeping in touch with family and friends, men in their twenties where it was who provides information, and men in their sixties, where it was corporate contributions to society.