世論 What Japan Thinks

With swine flu doing the rounds of many countries including Japan, here’s an indepth look by MyVoice at swine flu.

Demographics

Over the first five days of November 13,813 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 12% in their twenties, 34% in their thirties, 31% in their forties, and 22% aged fifty or older.

When the pandemic first appeared, the press completely overblew the whole affair, but now it seems quite the opposite, with very little information being available on even the basic information such as the number of new cases per week. Also, there is no public service advertising (that I have seen) on television giving tips on how to cover a cough or what measures one should take to prepare for a serious epidemic.

I’ll probably not bother with a vaccination, not out of worries about the vaccine itself, but just that by the time it gets round to me I’ll probably either have had it or the epidemic will have blown itself out.
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I know I said last week I would not post any more on herbivore boys, a promise I will keep by instead posting a goo Ranking looking at carnivorous girls.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 24th of September 2009 1,156 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 63.8% of the sample were female, 10.1% in their teens, 20.8% in their twenties, 30.0% in their thirties, 23.4% in their forties, 9.3% in their fifties, and 6.4% aged sixty or older. 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 does seem like a rather unusual demographic spread for goo Research.
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Not me personally, but the members of the goo Research monitor group reported on their worst-ever kiss, for both women and men.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 24th of September 2009 1,156 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 63.8% of the sample were female, 10.1% in their teens, 20.8% in their twenties, 30.0% in their thirties, 23.4% in their forties, 9.3% in their fifties, and 6.4% aged sixty or older. 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 does seem like a rather unusual demographic spread for goo Research.

Luckily I haven’t suffered from many on the list, although we once got chased off from beside a vending machine by someone who wanted to use it…
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Having done alcohol consumption earlier in the week, today I take a look at a survey from DIMSDRIVE Research into temperature of drinking water, etc, with a faddy diet as a bonus!

Demographics

Between the 6th and 8th of November 2009 9,947 members of the DIMSDRIVE monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 55.9% of the sample were male, 0.6% in their teens, 8.4% in their twenties, 27.6% in their thirties, 32.7% in their forties, 19.0% in their fifties, and 11.7% aged sixty or older.

The fad diet is the Sayu diet, 白湯 in kanji, the drinking of water at between 40°C and 50°C. Looking at the answers below, it appears it should raise one’s metabolism and burn more fat for the same food intake. Who knows if it works or not, although I would guess that the answer would be no, it doesn’t!
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Thank Goodness It’s Friday is, or at least was, called Hana No Kinyoubi (花の金曜日), Flower Friday, and may be shortened to just Hana-Kin (花金). The term came into use in the 1980s, but now has mostly falled into disuse. The TGIF feeling was the topic of this recent survey from iShare.

Demographics

Between the 29th of October and the 4th of November 2009 574 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.7% of the sample were male, 31.5% in their twenties, 33.8% in their thirties, and 34.7% in their forties.

Back when I worked in Scotland, the TGIF feeling usually started on the Friday morning, resulting in a lunchtime visit to the pub, although these days the anticipation is of merely a lie in on Saturday morning! Just last month I started Saturday morning Japanese lessons, so now I don’t even have the lie in to look forward too!
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Here’s another interesting look at drinking alcohol with MyVoice.

Demographics

Over the first five days of October 2009 13,102 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 14% in their twenties, 32% in their thirties, 32% in their forties, and 22% aged fifty or older.

I just read today about Japan and the social cost of alcohol, which is interesting reading, and I agree on the whole with the facts and the conclusion, although the estimate of the number of alcoholics seems on the low side, or else the diagnosis of an alcoholic in Japan is somewhat different to the west. The most interesting figure, though, is the social cost of alcohol. This article say 6.6 trillion yen, whereas a similar figure from a BBC article suggests £6.4 billion in terms of productivity losses. Working at 150 yen to the pound and populations of 130 million versus 65 million, that makes the cost to Japan industry almost 3.5 times greater!
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goo Research recently reported into elementary school children’s internet use, the seventh time they have reported on this. I’m sure I translated an earlier survey, but I can’t find it now!

Demographics

Between the 17th and 29th of September 2009 7,657 parents or guardians of elementary school children or younger completed a public internet-based questionnaire available through the kids goo portal. 54.2% of the sample were female, 1.2% in their twenties, 42.2% in their thirties, 52.4% in their forties, and 4.2% aged fifty or older.

It’s not clear from the sample as to whether mobile internet is included within this sample.

It’s a bit worrying that over a quarter of those who participate in chat (or over a quarter of those whose parents are aware of them participating and who they are talking to) don’t seem to know or have been taught the basic rules about not talking to strangers over the internet.
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[part 1][part 2]

Here’s an interesting and detailed survey from Cabinet Office Japan into cancer. I translated a similar survey from the Cabinet Office a couple of years ago.

Demographics

Between the 27th of August and the 6th of September 3,000 people were selected at random from all over the country to take part in face-to-face interviews. Of that number, 1,935 or 64.5% agreed to answer the questions in face-to-face interviews. 55.1% of the sample were female, 7.6% in their twenties, 15.4% in their thirties, 15.9% in their forties, 19.0% in their fifties, 23.3% in their sixties, and 18.7% aged seventy or older. Additionally, 44.7% were in employment, 11.2% self-employed, 3.9% worked for the family business, and 40.2% unemployed, including housewives, students and retired people. Of the unemployed, 61.9% were housewives (househusbands were not asked about) and the remaining 38.1% otherwise unemployed. Finally, 74.5% had either themselves or a family member, relative, workmate they were close to, etc, with cancer. 24.8% had not, and 0.8% didn’t know.

In Q14 I was surprised that cancer research came so low in people’s priorities for government action, and then lifestyle education even lower still.
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[part 1][part 2]

Here’s an interesting and detailed survey from Cabinet Office Japan into cancer. I translated a similar survey from the Cabinet Office a couple of years ago.

Demographics

Between the 27th of August and the 6th of September 3,000 people were selected at random from all over the country to take part in face-to-face interviews. Of that number, 1,935 or 64.5% agreed to answer the questions in face-to-face interviews. 55.1% of the sample were female, 7.6% in their twenties, 15.4% in their thirties, 15.9% in their forties, 19.0% in their fifties, 23.3% in their sixties, and 18.7% aged seventy or older. Additionally, 44.7% were in employment, 11.2% self-employed, 3.9% worked for the family business, and 40.2% unemployed, including housewives, students and retired people. Of the unemployed, 61.9% were housewives (househusbands were not asked about) and the remaining 38.1% otherwise unemployed. Finally, 74.5% had either themselves or a family member, relative, workmate they were close to, etc, with cancer. 24.8% had not, and 0.8% didn’t know.

One thing that affects the quite high figures in Q6 is that by law all companies over a minimum size must give annual health checks to their employees, and the larger companies, like the one I work in, call in a bunch of doctors, X-ray buses and the like and give a once-over to everyone. However, the chest X-ray is pretty pointless, so I hear, as by the time anything is visible you’re pretty close to terminal. I hate the barium meal stomach one, as they stick you on this funfair ride and twirl you upside down and round about to get the barium to spread all over.
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What an ugly headline, but quite an interesting ranking survey from goo Ranking looking at what clothes make guys at dating parties think they should make a move.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 24th of September 2009 1,156 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 63.8% of the sample were female, 10.1% in their teens, 20.8% in their twenties, 30.0% in their thirties, 23.4% in their forties, 9.3% in their fifties, and 6.4% aged sixty or older. 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 does seem like a rather unusual demographic spread for goo Research.

Earlier in the year I did another survey with the same theme but a different setting.

I personally would vote for this.
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