世論 What Japan Thinks

A rather controversial headline, but that’s the message I think this survey from Ginza HS Clinic (not surprisingly, a hair restoration clinic), conducted in conjunction with Rakuten Research, into balding and mental health.

Demographics

During the month of April 2013 400 male members of the Rakutan Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample consisted of 200 men who self-identified as going bald and 200 who had a full head of hair. Furthermore, 25.0% of each group were in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, and 25.0% in their fifties.

In the article, written by the PR team at the Ginza HS Clinic, they definitely wanted to give the impression that going bald made one effeminate, with Q2 being described as such, illustrating, they said, that going bald increased the use of girly beauty products. However, I thought that male-pattern baldness (this type is highlighted in the article) was due to an excess of testosterone, a point on which the literature seems to back me up. I was going to post an advert for shampoo that seemed rather dubious, with four suited men bursting in on a guy having a bath, but I couldn’t find it. Instead I came across this new-to-me advert for medicated shampoo.

Research results

Q1: Which of the following would you not want to be a distinguishing feature for yourself? (Sample size=400, multiple answer)

	Balding N=200	Not balding N=200
Fat	72.5%	69.5%
Balding	74.5%	39.0%
Bad breath	71.5%	73.0%
Body odour	62.5%	68.5%
Other	0.5%	0.0%

Q2: Which of the following beauty products do you use? (Sample size=400, multiple answer)

	Balding N=200	Not balding N=200
Lotion, other skin care	50.0%	42.0%
Shampoo, hair growth liquid, other hair care	74.0%	58.5%
Deodorant	44.5%	33.0%
Shaving, other body care	44.0%	37.0%
Other beauty treatment	1.0%	0.5%
Never used any	14.0%	25.0%

Q3: What hair lengths do you like on women? (Sample size=400, multiple answer)

	Balding N=200	Not balding N=200
Long	33.0%	36.5%
Semilong	57.0%	65.5%
Bob	19.5%	14.5%
Short	35.0%	23.0%
Other	3.0%	1.5%

Q4: Do you go along with women when they go shopping? (Sample size=400)

	Balding N=200	Not balding N=200
Always	14.5%	7.0%
Sometimes	65.0%	67.0%
Never	12.0%	17.0%
Don’t know	8.5%	9.0%

Q5: What would you want to regain to return to your youth? (Sample size=400, multiple answer, top seven answers)

Rank	Balding N=200	Percentage	Not balding N=200	Percentage
1	Physical strength	69.0%	Physical strength	68.5%
2	Hair	62.5%	Liveliness	51.0%
3	Liveliness	55.5%	Vision	41.5%
4	Vision	48.0%	Desire to challenge	31.0%
5	Shiny skin	38.0%	Shiny skin	26.5%
6	Desire to challenge	36.5%	Hearing	8.5%
7	Hearing	18.5%	Hair	3.5%