世論 What Japan Thinks

With the economy going down the toilet and quite a few interesting in earning a bit on the side, this recent survey from goo Ranking takes a look at what side jobs people would like to try.

Demographics

Between the 20th and 22nd of January 2010 1,071 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.1% of the sample were female, 19.9% in their teens, 29.5% in their twenties, 30.5% in their thirties, and 20.1% in their forties. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

Since everyone completing the survey is already a questionnaire monitor, although for just a nominal reward, the number one answer is either completely predictable or is implying that people would really want to answer questions for money.

Which reminds me, Get paid to take surveys! Join for free now! Just follow that link and you too can earn money by answering questionnaires, but more importantly I can earn money doing job number two…

iShare took a look at looking people in the eye when talking and found over one in four don’t usually do so.

Demographics

Between the 29th of January and the 3rd of February 2010 501 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.9% of the sample were male, 34.7% in their twenties, 32.5% in their thirties, and 32.7% in their forties.

I decided to check how I did tonight as I was meeting a whole bunch of new foreigners at work (the company-sponsored social event really pushed the boat out with a few boxes of Mister Donut and pots of coffee. Let’s talk about doughtnuts for a while in these parentheses – there wasn’t even a single Pon De Ring or any of their new range; since they got a bulk order they must have filled up with the most boring selection possible) Ah yes, back at the party (I want to have another parenthetical digression, but I’ll resist) I did find I looked people in the eyes just about all the time when they were talking, and most of the time when I was, I hope, which was quite a bit more eye contact than I thought I did do.
Read the rest of this entry »

This very comprehensive study by DIMSDRIVE Research into convenience store usage found out many interesting facts, such as almost two-thirds of those living alone frequent them quite frequently.

Demographics

Between the 2nd and 17th of September 2009 8,317 members of the DIMSDRIVE monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.4% of the sample were female, 0.8% in their teens, 12.0% in their twenties, 33.2% in their thirties, 31.6% in their forties, 15.8% in their fifties, and 6.6% aged sixty or older.

I pop into a convenience store about two or three times a week, usually ones inside stations run by the railway company, although I don’t know if they were in scope of this survey or not. The other times I use convenience stores it’s mostly to pay bills or to use the photocopier or occasionally to pick up tickets.
Read the rest of this entry »

I have an irrational dislike of seeing people using toothpicks, the subject of a survey from iShare.

Demographics

Between the 27th of January and 1st of February 2010 500 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.7% of the sample were male, 30.2% in their twenties, 34.5% in their thirties, and 35.3% in their forties.

I have once used a toothpick in a restaurant, but it didn’t feel right. Old guys wondering around chewing the end of a toothpick in particular irritates me. Oh, and on a flight to the USA this week the American woman in the seat beside me spend a lot of time picking the remains of her beef or chicken out of her teeth.

Note that many (most?) restaurants in Japan have toothpicks at the table.
Read the rest of this entry »

iShare recently asked their survey panel about what food smells get their juices flowing.

Demographics

Between the 6th and 12th of January 2010 588 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.6% of the sample were male, 32.1% in their twenties, 32.8% in their thirties, and 35.0% in their forties.

I love depachika on the whole, although I stay away from the meat counter. My least favourite food smell is buta-man, Chinese pork steamed bun, which is sold at a couple of stations on the way home, and anyone bringing it into my carriage really turns my stomach.
Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t say I don’t bring you rather strange surveys, as here is iShare’s look at sewing buttons, an activity that sems to be taught in most Japanese schools, to boys as well as girls.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 21st of January 2010 509 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.9% of the sample were male, 33.2% in their twenties, 34.0% in their thirties, and 32.8% in their forties.

I never learnt such matters in school myself, although we did have home economics, but that focused on cooking skills on the whole. If I lose a button these days I just ask wifey nicely to fix it, and sometimes she in fact actually does do it for me.
Read the rest of this entry »

iBridge Research Plus recently conducted a survey into family phone bills, which was reported on by japan.internet.com.

Demographics

On the 12th of January 2010 300 married female members of the iBridge monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 6.0% of the sample were in their twenties, 38.3% in their thirties, 34.3% in their forties, 15.7% in their fifties, and 5.7% in their sixties.

Both our phone bills come out of the family budget. I personally run up 2,600 yen per month on just about the cheapest plan going, wifey 8,000 yen or so depending on how many voice calls she makes.

Without knowing the number of people with school-aged mobile phone owning children, it’s difficult to judge if the 41 people in Q1SQ1 who pay children’s bills is large or small.
Read the rest of this entry »

Having seen at the end of last year that over three in four are hurting financially, iShare followed up with a look at taking on a second job.

Demographics

Between the 4th and 7th of January 2010 495 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 55.4% of the sample were male, 33.5% in their twenties, 31.9% in their thirties, and 34.5% in their forties.

16.1% of the men unemployed seems a very high percentage, and with only 4% between the figures for those in their twenties versus those in their thirties and forties, one cannot really say it is due to student numbers. I’d love to see the age figures broken down by sex just to see if there’s a trend.

I suppose I should count What Japan Thinks as my second job, and I wish I could say that I’m using the earnings to save for travel, but sadly it barely makes enough to cover my living expenses gap…
Read the rest of this entry »

iShare once again take an interesting look at a corner of Japanese life, this time the matter of fortune telling.

Demographics

Between the 8th and 14th of January 2010 567 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.0% of the sample were male, 34.7% in their twenties, 30.7% in their thirties, and 34.6% in their forties.

I must say I was surprised at how low the percentage of blood type believers were – I would have guessed that the majority believed, but perhaps it’s just that blood type is just an easy conversation starter, the equivalent of “What’s your sign?”
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s coming up to Valentine’s Day, which in Japan means that women buy gifts for men, on the whole, not only for their true love (or object of affection) but also for men at work, although with Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday this year, chocolate companies are hurting. So, today’s survey from Yahoo! Japan Value Insight is all about St Valentine’s Day.

Demographics

Between the 8th and 10th of January 2010 400 women between the ages of 20 and 39 resident within Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 100% were women, and 25.0% were aged between 20 and 24 years old, 25.0% between 25 and 29, 25.0% from 30 to 24, and 25.0% from 35 to 39.

The best chocolates I’ve received have been B.B. Chocolat Premier (hmm, they don’t seem to have an official web page), as I do like the look of them, which is just as important, if not more, that the actual taste on Valentine’s Day.
Read the rest of this entry »