世論 What Japan Thinks

Today, the 27th of July, is the one day of the year where people traditionally eat eel, usually grilled over charcoal, as a “stamina food”, a meal presumed to give one the stamina to last out the hot summer days, and is the topic of this survey from Macromill Research.

Demographics

Over the 5th and 6th of July 2012 500 members of the Macromill monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, and exactly 20% in their twenties, 20% in their thirties, 20% in their forties, 20% in their fifties, and 20% aged sixty or older.

Note that the traditional way of cooking eel is grilling it on skewers over charcoal, smothering it in sauce, and serving on top of white rice.

Today’s television news squeezed in between the Olympics a few stories on eels, with two of the longer features being on eel-substitute pork at half the price of real grilled eel, and African eels being imported from Madagascar. Here’s NHK’s English version of the second story, which also includes images of cooking and serving it.

Research results

Q1: Do you plan to eat eel on this year’s Doyou no Ushi no Hi? (Sample size=500)

Yes	53.6%
No	46.4%

For the 268 people who were planning to each eel, they were asked how much their budget was per person for eel-related eating out, fish shop purchases, etc. The average was 1,321 yen per person.

Q2: Regarding price versus country of origin of eel, which is closer to your way of thinking? (Sample size=500)

Even if it’s expensive, domestic eel is better	68.0%
If it’s cheap, imported eel is fine	32.0%

Q3: This year imports of eel from Africa has begun, which will be about 60% of the price of domestic eel. Would you want to eat African eel? (Sample size=500)

Yes	6.4%
Perhaps	27.8%
Perhaps not	50.0%
No	15.8%

Q4: Which eel-substitute dishes would you like to eat? (Sample size=500, multiple answer)

Grilled conger eel	59.6%
Grilled sanma (Pacific saury)	42.4%
Grilled pork belly	30.6%
Grilled beef	28.4%
Grilled tofu	21.2%
Other	3.4%