世論 What Japan Thinks

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The Cabinet Office Japan recently published the results of their survey into physical strength and sports amongst the Japanese population.

Demographics

Between the 24th of September and the 4th of October 2009 3,000 adults randomly selected from population rolls from all over the country were approached for face-to-face interviews. Of the 3,000, 1,925 people, or 64.2%, were able and willing to take part in the survey. The main reasons for not taking part were refusal and not being in when the inverviewer visited. 54.2% of the sample were female, 9.2% in their twenties, 15.0% in their thirties, 17.4% in their forties, 19.6% in their fifties, 22.5% in their sixties, and 16.3% aged seventy or older.

Ahh, a sport survey, so it must be an excuse for my frequent refrain of how I plan to buy a Wii Fit and get into some sort of less round shape.

My employer offers a discount on sports gym membership, but it’s some pretty pathetic percentage off a full-price membership for only one or two gyms in a chain neither of which are convenient for home.
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With tickets having gone on sale last week, with the usual flock of idiots punters buying tickets by the metre, let’s have a look with Macromill Inc at the 2009 Year-end Jumbo Lottery.

Demographics

Over the 10th and 11th of November 2009 1,000 members of the Macromill monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, and 25.0% in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, and 25.0% aged fifty or older.

Having a superstition for buying the tickets at a shop that sells a lot of them is utterly pointless, as they sell a lot of winners because a lot of people buy! I’d love to see official statistics showing that the ratio of winners to sales is similar regardless of volume, rather than that star signs nonsense from the link above.

In Q7SQ5, I’m sure I heard somewhere why people put tickets in the fridge, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was! Can anyone help me out?
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With tickets having gone on sale last week, with the usual flock of idiots punters buying tickets by the metre, let’s have a look with Macromill Inc at the 2009 Year-end Jumbo Lottery.

Demographics

Over the 10th and 11th of November 2009 1,000 members of the Macromill monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, and 25.0% in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, and 25.0% aged fifty or older.

Note that the Japanese Year-end Jumbo Lottery, and all the other major lotteries would be more accurately called raffles. There are a limited number of tickets on sale, and the draw ensures that only a certain number of winners come out, and for whatever reason they have decided that making 210 jackpots between 100 and 300 million yen is better than twenty or so yen billionaires.

In Q6, buying on average 22 tickets per person is quite stunning!
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Having looked in October at nuclear power in the Kinki region, today the topic is also nuclear power, but with a sample from all over the country, in a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office Japan.

Demographics

Between the 15th and 25th of October 2009 3,000 members of the public randomly selected from resident registries were approached for face-to-face interviews. 1,850 people, or 61.7%, agreed to take part in the survey. More detailed demographics were not given.

In Q5, the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) factor is rather high, but it’s not a surprising result. However, financial support (or bribes, I suppose) to communities hosting nuclear plants is something the government does, or more correctly did, as one of the many victims of the Democratic Party of Japan’s slash-and-burn attack on spending has been the abolition of the said government subsidy/bribe. The lack of this will surely affect local opinion in the areas that get selected for high-level nuclear waste disposal facilities.
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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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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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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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One of the last great acts of the ex-Prime Minister Taro Aso was to propose a palace to celebrate his favourite hobby, manga. The new government cancelled the plans, but Meiji University has proposed its own library of manga, anime and doujinshi, basically self-published manga, often based on professional works, and often rather adult-themed. To see what their rather geeky members thought, iShare conducted this survey into manga and anime sub-culture.

Demographics

Between the 26th and 28th of October 2009 456 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 55.3% of the sample were male, 31.8% in their twenties, 33.8% in their thirties, and 34.4% in their forties.

I thought Aso’s Anime Palace was a collosal waste, but I support to some extent the effort by Meiji University to collect together this significant sub-culture, even though most of the figurine and doujinshi gives me the willies.
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This subject is one that seems to polarises opinions in Japanese media, with those opposed arguing along the lines of having the law in place to allow separate names will mean everyone will use it, leading to a collapse of the whole of Japanese society. However, this recent survey into separate names of husbands and wives found most in favour, but very few planning to take advantage of it.

Demographics

Between the 13th and 16th of October 2009 498 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 56.6% of the sample were male, 36.7% in their twenties, 30.1% in their thirties, and 33.1% in their forties.

Separate names is by default a fact for international marriages, due to the family register system in Japan – a Japanese-only couple have one family register document for the two of them, so as the document only supports a single surname, couples must have the same official name. However, foreign residents have a separate registration system, so we and our spouses can keep our surnames, although there is a six-month window where one can easily make the change. My wife didn’t change (no particular reason, just too much hassle, I support), but when she renewed her passport she got given a double-barrel with my surname in brackets after hers.
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