世論 What Japan Thinks

As part of their 102nd Ranking Survey, DIMSDRIVE Research looked at average sleep time. 5,391 members of their monitor pool responded to their internet-based questionnaire at the start of October. In related news, Mutantfrog Travelogue reported on a recent government survey (which I might translate in full later) that showed the average Japanese person wakes up at 6:43AM.

Whether the figures below are for an average weekday, or if they include weekends, I don’t really know. Also unclear is whether time spent trying to fall asleep or dozing in the morning is included. For myself, I’m lucky to get 6 hours on weekdays and perhaps just around 8 hours on weekends. With the holidays coming up, I’d love to get a solid 8 hours kip for a week, but…

Note that women get only slightly more sleep than men – although the average salaryman may come home late from work or the pub after the wife has gone to bed, it is the lot of the housewife to wake earlier to prepare breakfast and packed lunches for her hubby and offspring.
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At the start of December last year, MyVoice surveyed its internet community on the subject of train manners. 13,586 people successfully completed an internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 3% in their teens, 21% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 24% in their forties, and 13% aged fifty or older.

Interestingly enough, the most common gripe I hear from other foreigners about the trains in Japan, that of people reading porno manga openly, irritates just 6.6% of the sample, and is seen as bad manners by barely three in ten, less than the number who consider putting on make up as a sign of poor breeding.

For me, snuffling without blowing one’s nose is the most boorish activity on trains, but that’s just my westernness showing! Not bothering to turn one’s phone to manner mode would come second, and it is mostly people who seem old enough to know better who do this, sadly.
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With Japan’s population aging at quite a pace, japan.internet.com published the results of some timely research by JR Tokai Express Research into old folks-targeted web sites. They interviewed 330 mature people from their internet monitor group; 74.5% were male, and 70.9% were in their 50s, 26.1% in their sixties, and 3.0% in their seventies.

Note being of that age yet, I cannot really comment, but my father is currently learning how to surf as part of free training provided by the Scottish (or British?) government for everyone of a retired age. Currently all of the internet is delegated to my mother, so we’ll see wht he gets up to after he finished his training!
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japan.internet.com recently published the results of a poll conducted by JR Tokai Express Research into the use of calendars, both computer desktop-based and paper ones. They interviewed 330 people employed in both the public and private sectors from their monitor panel in the middle of December, with 77.0% of the sample being male, 16.4% in their twenties, 49.1% in their thirties, 28.8% in their forties, 5.2% in their fifties, and 0.6% in their sixties.

I’m a big paper and pencil person myself, although I do occasionally download some calendar wallpaper for both my computer and my mobile phone from Frente Spiral.
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Just in time before deciding on New Year Resolutions, goo Ranking published the results of a quick survey they conducted in November into people’s unfinished business for the year. As usual, no demographics or other detailed numbers, just a rank of the percentage of the winning votes total.
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Just in time for the New Year, japan.internet.com published the results of an opinion poll conducted by JR Tokai Express Research into peoples plans for sending 年賀状, nengajou, New Year postcards for the forthcoming Year of the Inoshishi (Wild Boar). 331 members of their monitor group successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.6% of the group was male, 6.3% in their teens, 20.5% in their twenties, 39.9% in their thirties, 23.9% in their forties, 6.9% in their fifties, 1.2% in their sixties, and another 1.2% aged 70 or older.

We finally got our cards posted out this evening, a grand total of 90 for us to send. As for email, I think the most we’ll do is a short normal mobile phone email or two rather than any special service.

Have a great New Year when it comes, everyone!
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Recently, goo Research published the results of an opinion poll it conducted on the subject of children’s extra-curricular education. Demographics are sketchy – the only available information is that the parents of 1,026 children aged between 3 and 14 years old. For people with more than one child, I’m not sure exactly how they answered – averaging all children, picking one, or each individually. 41% of the children were boys, 59% girls. The fieldwork was conducted between the 14th and 16th of November.

I know that there is a big industry around children’s education, what with advertisements on prime-time television showing children aged just four or five intensely studying, an image that makes me and my memories of a stress-free childhood uncomfortable. When it comes round to my turn to have children, I’d like to say I want to keep my kids away from this sort of pressure; I’d only want to force, or at least strongly persuade a future mini-me to study music or dance for enjoyment, as it probably is the one thing I most regret not having any ability in.

For the English teachers in my audience, note that in Q3 almost one in five want to make their kids take English lessons, surely a business opportunity for you all!
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japan.internet.com recerntly reported on an opinion poll conducted just before Christmas by goo Research on the subject of awareness of Web 2.0. 1,075 people from their monitor group successfully completed the internet-based private survey. 53.5% of the sample was male, 17.9% in their teens, 19.7% in their twenties, 16.8% in their thirties, 17.4% in their forties, and 28.2% aged fifty or older. Note that this demographic is slightly more male and younger than the average monitor group from goo Research; perhaps due to Christmas and other end of year activities the sample was slightly skewed?

For me, I’d have to say that I’m fed up hearing about it, and it’s over-hyped, an answer that sadly was not available. Perhaps that’s one of the 20 others in Q1SQ1?

As can be seen in Q2 and the headline, Google users seem more aware of Web 2.0, although the exact causal relationship is unclear. All in all an interesting but puzzling set of results.

In case you’re wondering, here The Register sums up what Web Two Point Naught is all about.
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DIMSDRIVE Research recently released the results of a very timely opinion poll on the topic of norovirus, a bug that can cause a rather nasty dose of gastroenteritis. Between the 20th and 25th of December 6,533 members of their monitor group successfully completed an internet-based survey. 44.3% of the group was male, 1.1% in their teens, 16.1% in their twenties, 36.9% in their thirties, 27.1% in their forties, 13.4% in their fifties, and 5.4% aged sixty or older.

I’ll give another plug to Japundit’s advice on simple measures to reduce the risk of infection, and note that although it is highly contageous and pretty nasty when it breaks out, is does soon pass, after perhaps two or three days. Mind you, it is better not to catch it at all rather than just hoping you can ride it out, and if you live with other people, the chance of you passing it on to them is rather high, I suspect.
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With Christmas almost upon us; indeed in Japan it has now passed, as X’mas (note the extra apostrophe there that Japan almost always uses) Eve is the main time for parties and the rest. With this in mind, goo Ranking published a survey a few days ago on what food people would most like to eat at a Christmas party. As usual, no demographics are available, but since it’s the holiday season, I hope you can forgive me for not having them!

For me, tonight’s X’mas Eve special dinner was pizza. Hope you had a fun time too!
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