Demographics

The survey was conducted from the 27th to 30th of January 2014, and 1,141 people completed a private web-based questionnaire. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample. This question was obviously for the men only.

Here’s some random out-of-focus women shopping:

I cannot really find much to disagree with in this survey! Fortunately my wife doesn’t wear eyelashes and is not a slave to brand goods, but otherwise I think I have to agree with almost all the others, although for 19 the last time we had an overnight stay I actually ended up with more luggage than her!

My own personal answer would be the number of times she asks me to pull out white hairs!

Ranking result

Q: What do you think that women could decrease? (Sample size=males from 1,141)

Rank		Score
1	Number of clothes, shoes, bags, other fashion items	100
2	Number of cosmetic products, equipment	78.8
3	Size of false eyelashes, eyelash extensions	60.9
5	Amount of perfume applied	58.1
6	Number of colours, shades of make-up (eye shadow, blusher, lipstick, etc)	45.8
7	Number of times they ask “Do you love me?”	43.0
8	Weight	40.8
9	Number of hen parties	39.7
10=	Number of times they say “That’s cute!”	38.5
10=	Number of rumours they repeat	38.5
12	Number of times they moan about day-to-day life, workplace, etc	36.9
13	Number of emails they send per day	36.3
14=	Number of photos they take	30.2
14=	Number of smiley marks in email	30.2
16	Number of anniversaries	29.6
17	Number of times they treat themselves	26.8
18	Number of times they go to beauty salons	26.3
19	Amount of luggage they take on holiday	25.1
20	Number of times they go shopping	21.2
21=	Amount of work they do	20.1
21=	Number of trifling conversations	20.1
23	Number of times they drink tea on dates	15.6
24	Amount of skin they show when we go out	14.0
25	Number of things they study	10.1

Demographics

The survey was conducted from the 27th to the 30th of January 2014, and 1,141 people completed a private web-based questionnaire. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample. Only the males in the sample answered this question.

Here’s a Korean guy doing number 4, and also carrying some other strange-looking device…

I’m sure, or at least I’d like to think, that when I was dating my wife I was more forgiving, but right now I’d be hard-pushed to let my wife off with more than a handful of the below, or at least not do any of them without a visible eyeball roll or an audible sigh!

Ranking result

Q: What forgivably-cute self-centred things does your girlfriend say? (Sample size=males from 1,141)

Rank		Score
1	(When leaving at the end of a date) “I want you to stay with me a little longer”	100
2	“I’m lonely so please come round soon”	86.8
3	“Rather than email, I want to hear your voice”	61.9
4	My bag is heavy so can you carry it?”	60.3
5=	“Is it OK if I have dessert?”	51.9
5=	“Can you walk a little slower?”	51.9
7	“I don’t want to bump into my female friends when we’re together”	45.5
8	“I’d like you to stop ogling other girls”	44.4
9	“Can you use your holidays for me?”	39.7
10=	“I worry if you don’t reply to my emails quickly…please reply soon”	34.9
10=	(In a public place) “Give me a kiss here and now”	34.9
12	“Whereever you go, I hate it that I’m not with you”	32.3
13	“Carry me in your arms”	31.7
14	“I can’t decide what to eat, so could you order whatever for me?”	29.6
15	“Buy me an ice cream”	29.1
16=	“I can’t walk any more – give me a piggy-back”	28.6
16=	“Your sense is awful, I’ll choose!”	28.6
18=	“Which is more important, work or me?”	19.6
18=	“Buy this…please!”	19.6
20	“Is it no problem if I throw out all the stuff your ex used?”	15.9
21=	“Even if I don’t mention it, I want you to read my vibes”	15.3
21=	“Try to show me how much you love me!”	15.3
23	“I’d love to go to that expensive restaurant”	14.8
24	“Show me proof of your love for me”	14.3
25	“Delete all the female contacts from your phone’s address book!”	9.5

Demographics

The survey was conducted from the 24th to the 27th of December 2013, and 1,076 people completed a private web-based questionnaire. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

Here’s a random foreigner doing a number 10 and perhaps 20 too, as the middle finger looks a bit out of alignment.

Pretty much all of them annoy me to a certain exten; on the other hand, I can also be guilty of 3, 4, both 12s, and 17, although since 17 is a no-no in the west, it’s a difficult habit to break.

Ranking result

Q: What bad table manners in others can you just not stand? (Sample size=1,076)

Rank		Score
1	Noisy chewing	100
2	Quick to say “disgusting!”	56.5
3	Burping while eating	54.4
4	Fiddling with their mobile phone, smartphone all through the meal	53.9
5	Starting smoking after finishing their own meal, despite others still eating	50.5
6	Speaking with their mouth full	46.6
7	Spilling too much food on the table, floor	44.0
8	Taking far too much food at a buffet and leaving stuff behind	40.6
9	Drumming bowls with chopsticks	37.1
10	Eating with elbows on the table	34.5
11	Leaving behind grains of rice	34.1
12=	Licking the ends of the chopsticks	31.9
12=	Silently dumping disliked food on other people’s plates	31.9
14	Using chopsticks to pull dishes towards themselves	31.6
15	Leaving a little bit behind from every dish	30.3
16	Slurping soup, pasta	28.7
17	Eating food without holding the bowl	28.5
18	Not saying words of thanks before and after eating	27.9
19	Covering food with lots of condiments before even tasting it	27.8
20	Holding chopsticks, knives, forks funny	27.5
21	Mixing everything together	26.5
22	Stabbing food with chopsticks	23.3
23	Eating with the bowl too close to their face	22.1
24	Wiping their face, neck with a wet towel	18.0
25	Hovering chopsticks over all the dishes	17.8

Demographics

Between the 20th and 25th of February 2014 1,078 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.5% of the sample were male, 13.4% in their teens, 15.8% in their twenties, 21.3% in their thirties, 17.4% in their forties, 14.8% in their fifties, and 17.3% aged sixty or older.

Last year I wrote some client (Android and iPhone) and server (Apache and Microsoft Server) code to support two factor authentication using a TOTP. I’d love to tell you more, but I cannot as it was (a) work-related and (b) a retelling of the tale would require mentioning other people who might read this blog in an unfavourable light.

Research results

Q1: Do you know what two factor authentication is? (Sample size=1,078)

Yes, and use it (to SQ1 and SQ2)	13.4%
Yes, but not currently using it (to SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3)	3.6%
Yes, but never used it	13.2%
No, don’t know it	69.9%

Q1SQ1: With which services have you used two factor authentication? (Sample size=183, multiple answer)

Facebook	33.9%
Google	28.4%
LINE	18.6%
Microsoft	11.5%
Twitter	10.4%
Dropbox	5.5%
Evernote	2.2%
LinkedIn	1.1%
Other	17.5%

Q1SQ2: Have you had security trouble since using two factor authentication? (Sample size=183)

Yes	2.7%
No	86.3%
Don’t remember	10.9%

Q1SQ3: Why are you not currently using two factor authentication? (Sample size=39)

Too much bother, too much effort	82.1%
Stopped using the service	17.9%
Don’t want to reveal phone number, other personal information	17.9%
Have other security software to harden my PC, so don’t need it	12.8%
Had security trouble after using two-factor authentication	5.1%
Installed an app that didn’t require two-factor authentication	2.6%
Other	2.6%

Demographics

Between the 14th and 20th of February 2014 4,833 members of the Nifty monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. No detailed demographic information was provided.

I’ve not experienced any crime here in Japan (except getting a parking ticket once…), and I don’t take any particular anti-crime measures when out and about.

Note that in Q6, carrying pepper spray is illegal.

Research results

The first question was if people thought that their own personal awareness of crime prevention was high or not. The graph did not report direct numbers, but it did show that the over sixties had significantly higher crime awareness; over 10 percentage points more that the other age groups said their was high, about about 5 percentage points more that it was very high. However, for all age groups a small majority (from about 52% for the over sixties to 63% of the under 39s) rated themselves as average.

Q2: What causes your awareness of crime prevention to rise? (Sample size=4,833, top ten answers)

When someone living nearby is a victim of crime	52%
When someone close to me is a victim of crime	43%
When I am a victim of crime	36%
When I see a television program, magazine feature on crime	28%
When I have an expensive item, a large sum of money on my person	21%
When I see a suspicious-looking person in the neighbourhood	21%
When I go abroad	21%
When I buy a house, move house, etc	18%
When I attend a lecture, training on crime prevention	12%
When I have children	10%

Q3A: Have you ever been a victim of a housebreaking? (Sample size=4,833)

Yes, twice or more	2%
Yes, once	14%
No, never	84%

Q3B: Have you ever been a victim of a pickpocket, bag snatcher, etc? (Sample size=4,833)

Yes, twice or more	3%
Yes, once	15%
No, never	82%

Q4: What kind of door intercom do you have? (Sample size=4,833)

	Unmarried	Married
Simple doorbell only	33%	22%
Voice only	30%	31%
Voice and video	20%	30%
Recordable video	9%	14%
Other	8%	2%

The next question asked people what anti-crime measures they took. Overall, the over-sixties tended to take more measures, and the thirties and under the fewest. The two most popular with about 43% doing both were not letting post build up in their post box and making sure name and address information in letters and envelopes, etc were erased or shredded before throwing them out. About 20% to 30% used a door chain, etc, and a similar amount had harder-to-pick door locks. The next most popular measure was interesting, to try to make friends with the neighbours.

Q6: What crime prevention measures do you take when going out? (Sample size=4,833, multiple answers)

	Male	Female
Keep valuables out of sight	21%	32%
Don’t visit quiet streets	15%	40%
Keep bag underarm, etc, to make it difficult to steal	15%	38%
Carry bag on the wall side	10%	33%
Use a mobile phone with a GPS function	12%	15%
Put an anti-theft cover, net over bicycle basket	8%	19%
Use two or more locks, chains on bicycle	9%	9%
Carry a whistle	4%	8%
Carry an anti-crime buzzer, lamp, etc	3%	9%
Use a mobile phone anti-peeking filter	3%	6%
Carry mobile phone in hand ready to dial for help if needed	1%	4%
Learn self-defense	2%	1%
Carry pepper spray	1%	0%
Other	25	3%
Nothing in particular	49%	21%

Q7: When answering the phone at home, do you say your name before you know who it is? (Sample size=4,833)

Yes, immediately	21%
No, not until I know who it is	72%
Other	7%

Demographics

Between the 13th and 18th of February 2014 1,075 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.7% of the sample were male, 13.7% in their teens, 15.6% in their twenties, 21.0% in their thirties, 17.3% in their forties, 14.9% in their fifties, and 17.5% aged sixty or older.

Research results

Q1: Do you regularly buy a paper newspaper? If so, how many do you buy on a daily basis? (Sample size=1,075)

Yes, one	56.1%
Yes, two	6.0%
Yes, three	0.1%
No, none	38.8%

Next people were asked if they read on a daily basis electronic versions of newspapers, and 164 people, or 15.3% of the original sample, said they did. Note, if by “electronic version” they imply a PDF or app-based reproduction of the newspaper I do find the numbers a little high, but conversely if web sites count too, I find the number a little low. The question text implies the literal interpretation in my opinion, but the follow-up question implies the wider definition. Perhaps the actual question qualified it by saying starting from the newspaper’s web site front page and reading interesting stories counted, but just clicking direct links from aggregators didn’t?

Q2: How many online newspapers do you read on a daily basis? (Sample size=164)

One	56.1%
Two	22.6%
Three	12.8%
Four or more	8.5%

Q3: How many online newspapers have you registered for? (Sample size=164)

One	36.0%
Two	17.1%
Three	3.0%
Four or more	1.2%
None	42.7%

Q3SQ: Are these newspaper registrations free or paid? (Sample size=94)

All free	77.7%
All paid	16.0%
Some free, some paid	6.4%

Demographics

Between the 10th and 12th of February 2014 1,078 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.5% of the sample were male, 0.5% in their teens, 11.6% in their twenties, 22.4% in their thirties, 32.6% in their forties, and 33.0% aged fifty or older.

With sales tax going up from 5% to 8% in April, although currently all train tickets are rounded to the nearest 10 yen, some transport operators are planning on increasing fares by exactly 3% (actually by 2.857%, but you know what I mean!) then rounded to the nearest yen, but only for electronic cash users. As most of the ticket vending machines cannot handle one and five yen coins, for cash users the tax increase will be rounded up to the nearest ten yen.

Research results

Q1: Do you use electronic cash? (Sample size=1,078)

Yes	66.6%
Used to, but not now (to SQ1)	7.9%
No, never (to SQ1)	25.5%

Q1SQ1: Certain stretches of railway lines will become cheaper when using electronic cash. Do you think you will start using electronic cash because of this? (Sample size=360)

Yes	45.8%
No (to SQ2)	54.2%

Q1SQ2: Why will you not start using electronic cash? (Sample size=195)

Don’t use trains	53.8%
Don’t want to use electronic cash	29.2%
My line will not have one yen pricing	8.7%
I only use a season ticket	4.1%
Cash is cheaper	2.6%
Other	1.5%

Demographics

The survey was conducted from the 24th to the 27th of December 2013, and 1,076 people completed a private web-based questionnaire. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample. The survey was for men only.

Fortunately, when we were dating my wife never said any of the below, although I’ll refrain from reporting how many she has said since marriage.

Ranking result

Q: What words from your girlfriend would pour cold water on your thoughts of marriage? (Sample size=men from 1,076)

Rank		Score
1	A two carat or more brand-name engagement ring would be nice…	100
2	I won’t do any housework	95.2
3	My ex would just go and do that for me	86.6
4	I cannot feel any love in this present	74.2
5	It will be best to just chuck all of your collections away	71.3
6	Actually, I’ve entertained an approach from Mr ____	64.6
7	I not interested in living anywhere other than a detached house in the city	63.6
8	Your family is a little odd	61.7
9	I’ll quit work on marrying, then can play all I want as a housewife!	60.8
10	I have no intention of having babies	58.9
11	(After trying my hardest to make a romantic proposal) That performance left me pretty cold	56.5
12	I don’t want my lifestyle level to lower after marriage	55.0
13	Is that all you’ve got in the bank? Save more properly!	52.2
14	As I want to show you off, we’ll need to have a flashy wedding reception	50.2
15	I’ve decided we’re having an overseas wedding	47.4
16	When we marry, I’ll hold the purse strings	46.4
17	Hmm, you plan to boast about that?	44.5
18	Hurry up and get promotion and a pay rise	43.1
19	I absolutely want to get married by __ years old!	42.6
20	I want to be kept fed for all my life	38.8
21	As you have no sense in clothes, I’m your stylist from now on	35.9
22	As you’re an adult now, why don’t you get a more adult hobby?	35.4
23=	I cannot think about marriage yet	33.5
23=	I’m not expecting great things regarding your earning power	33.5
25=	You’re a fool who is always chasing his dreams	32.5
25=	Don’t invite that friend to our wedding reception	32.5
27	I’ll come along if you get posted overseas, but you’re on your own if you’re posted domestically	32.1
28	(Regarding a pop star, actress I like) If you like her so much, why don’t you marry her instead?	31.6
29	I’m keeping all my salary for myself	29.7
30	I cannot picture myself being married	28.7

Demographics

Between the 24th and 30th of January 2014 5,098 members of the Nifty monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. No further demographics were given.

You can even get tobacco tea from a vending machine in Japan:

In Q6, banning smoking on pavements (sidewalks for my American readers) illustrates the strength of JT, Japan Tobacco, and its advertising, which has convinced the public that despite Q5 showing that most people are aware of the health issues, impoliteness and the risk of poking children in the eye outweighs taking said children into a smoky cafe and puffing away; as many a foreigner says, Japan must be the only country where it is often easier to smoke inside than outside. Next, banning smoking in bullet trains would be low-priority for me, as on the main Tokyo-Osaka run all the newer trains are non-smoking, but have a smoking room, which I actually think is worse. With a distinct smoking car, it is easy to avoid; with a room, if you happen to get a seat nearby and beside a smoker, their fumes after their visits will be pretty obnoxious.

Where I’d like to see smoking banned is parliament; then I will know that the government is really serious about tackling the issue.

Research results

The first question, and perhaps the most significant question is unfortunately the hardest to report on, as they chose not to add percentages to the bar graph, and although the data was split by age bands, it was not split by the sexes.

Currently, about 14% of those aged 39 years old or younger currently smoked, 25% of those in their forties did, 29% of those in their fifties, and 22% of those aged sixty or older. Whether the lower figure for under forties indicates a significant number rejecting smoking, or just something as simple as a larger percentage of females in the sample (other data suggests that men outnumber female smokers 2:1), I do not know. Regarding those who had never smoked, nearly 70% of the 39 and under group said they were, as had 48% of those in their forties, 37% of those in their fifties, and just 24% of those aged sixty or older.

Furthermore, the report also says that about three in ten males in the sample had never smoked, whereas about seven in ten females had never.

Q2: On average about how many cigarettes do you smoke per day? (Sample size=smokers, 24% of 5,098)

	Male	Female
Less than one	1%	2%
One	0%	1%
Two or three	2%	3%
Four or five	4%	9%
Six to ten	17%	24%
Eleven to fifteen	19%	22%
Sixteen to twenty	33%	27%
Twenty-one or more	24%	12%

Q3 was another unlabelled graph of why people quit smoking, split into the four age bands seen above. The top reason was for health or maintaining physical strength, with about 20% of those under 60 choosing that reason, whereas 35% of the over sixties did. Additionally, another 22% quit due to becoming ill, then 18% quit due to tax hikes, and around 15% just to save money.

Q4: What are the merits of smoking? Non-smokers, answer what you think they might be. (Sample size=5,098, multiple answer)

	Male	Female
Cheers one up	46%	26%
Relaxing	30%	18%
Relieves stress	24%	21%
Easy to take breaks	22%	13%
Communication with fellow smokers	22%	14%
Taxes contribute to the country	17%	19%
Something to do while waiting	18%	9%
Don’t get bothered by silence when smoking	10%	8%
Contribute to the tobacco industry	7%	11%
Good flavour, taste of tobacco	8%	4%
Good for diet	4%	5%
Can enjoy as a hobby	5%	3%
Good for the brain	3%	1%
Looks cool to smoke	2%	4%
Other	3%	4%
Nothing in particular	23%	33%

For Q5, people were asked about the demerits of smoking, and the results were presented split between smokers, ex-smokers and the never smoked. 64% of smokers and 76% of the rest labelled the raised risk of cancer, lung disease, etc as the biggest minus, then 50% of smokers, 72% of ex-smokers and 80% who had never smoked the possibility of negative health effects in others from second-hand smoke. 76% of smokers and 58% of the rest said money was a demerit and 50% of smokers and around 70% of the rest highlighted rooms smelling of cigarettes or walls turning yellow.

Q6: Where would you like to see becoming all non-smoking? (Sample size=5,098, multiple answer)

	Male	Female
Pavements	65%	79%
Bullet trains	53%	63%
Restaurants	53%	63%
All of my own home	51%	61%
Offices	48%	57%
Hotel rooms	47%	58%
Vehicles	47%	54%
Railway stations	43%	50%
Cafes	40%	53%
My own room	38%	49%
Theme parks	34%	44%
Public parks	34%	39%
Pubs	30%	31%
Karaoke boxes	26%	33%
Other	4%	4%
Nowhere in particular	13%	5%

Q7: When choosing a restaurant, etc that has separate smoking and non-smoking seats, which of the following do you usually choose? (Sample size=5,098, multiple answer)

Non-smoking, and won’t take smoking if non-smoking full	57%
Non-smoking, but will take smoking if non-smoking full	18%
Smoking, and won’t take non-smoking if smoking full	7%
Smoking, but will take non-smoking if smoking full	6%
Will take anything	10%

Demographics

The survey was conducted from the 21st to the 23rd of November 2013, and 1,054 people completed a private web-based questionnaire. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample. The survey was for men only.

Since Valentine’s Day in Japan is only for women to give presents to men, this question was only answered by men.

For number 6, I’m not aware of a similar Japanese tradition, but I thought the banns was the closest I could come to the intent of the Japanese phrase.

Ranking result

Q: What gifts received along with a Valentine’s declaration of love would you find rather weighty? (Sample size=men from 1,054)

Rank		Score
1	A filled-in and waiting to be signed marriage certificate	100
2	Even though we aren’t a couple, paired items	98.1
3	A self-composed poem	91.1
4	An expensive brand bag	89.2
5	A self-made CD	85.4
6	A posting of the banns	84.1
7	A key for her house	82.2
8	A smartphone for use with her alone	81.5
9	An intensive love letter	75.8
10	A hand-knitted item with my initials	71.3
11=	Pair rings	69.4
11=	A compatibility astrological report	69.4
13	Underwear type I dislike	59.9
14	An ekoko doll, other lucky charm	59.2
15=	A home-made mix tape of love songs	54.1
15=	An anthology of love poems, romantic novel	54.1
15=	A photo book filled with photos of the two of us	54.1
18	Pair tickets for an artist I don’t like	52.2
19	A likeness of me	49.0
20	Travel tickets	44.6
21	A photo book of a pop star I like	42.7
22	Cologne I don’t like	40.8
23	A misanga lucky charm bracelet	35.7
24	Her email address, telephone number	18.5
25	Professional-quality hand-made chocolates	13.4