Just a quick update tonight, a pointer to a post by ampontan regarding a couple of surveys recently conducted into nuclear power. The first survey from the Yomiuri Shimbun on April 4th was conducted between the 1st and 3rd of April 2011, and found that 46% supported continuing with the current level of nuclear power generation, 29% were for reducing, and 12% for the complete elimination of nuclear power. The other 13% were not described. The second survey from JNN for the TBS television station was released on the same day, and found the highest percentage (the exact figures were not available) thought that current nuclear power be maintained but safety procedures strengthened, and about 15% supported each of “stopping all generation for now while reviewing the situation” and “phasing out and using other means of power generation”.
I suspect the numbers in favour of nuclear power will rise this summer as the Tokyo area, which normally has 24 or so reactors available to supply the grid (with usually three or four in maintenance at any one time) will be down to just two, according to news I saw this morning, despite the summer months being peak demand to supply air conditioning.
I personally think that nuclear generation, especially in Japan, is an unavoidable evil. I’ve recently become less in favour of wind as an economic alternative, but tidal/wave and geothermal should be looked at more seriously in Japan. And of course the current Internet darling of thorium is another promising target of research and development funding.
For your reference, here is a Japanese government survey from December 2009 into nuclear power.
On to the survey, which was performed by iShare, looking at digital donations.
Demographics
On the 1st of April 2011 853 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.8% of the sample were male, 5.5% in their twenties, 47.5% in their thirties, and 47.0% in their forties.
I must admit to not having made a points donation myself, although my wife gave lots as she fills in surveys for points. As for digital contents, I’ve not seen any myself, but then again I’ve not gone looking. Any suggestions from my readership will be most welcome! Read the rest of this entry »
iShare’s latest look at disaster-related topics was related to walking home, specifically in the case of a major earthquake that knocked the trains out, could people get back home from work or school under their own steam.
Demographics
On the 29th and 30th of March 2011 1,697 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.3% of the sample were male, 3.6% in their twenties, 47.0% in their thirties, and 49.4% in their forties.
I’l quite surprised at the number who said they could make their own way home, given that the average commute time for Japanese is about an hour each way, most of which is in a train. I roughly know how to get home from work, but if I took a “follow the railway line” one I’d have to go through the centre of Osaka which is liable to be flooded by any tsunami that would follow a major Nankai earthquake. The other railway line to follow home is a raised monorail, so following it would also be difficult, and given that it’s about 30 kilometres home as the crow flies, I’d commandeer a bicycle… Read the rest of this entry »
Over the 22nd and 23rd of March 2011 1,138 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.0% of the sample were male, 16.3% in their teens, 17.8% in their twenties, 21.4% in their thirties, 16.5% in their forties, 15.8% in their fifties, and 12.2% aged sixty or older.
Perhaps an unreported follow-on question from Q3 was how people would use their mobile devices to gather information. For myself, I have found the one-seg digital telelvision feature on my mobile phone indispensable. Read the rest of this entry »
With Renho, the minister for power cuts, and television advertisements scolding us about using electricity due to ongoing shortage of generation facilities in the Tokyo and northward caused by a slight problem you might have hear something about, iShare took a look at if and how people were saving electricity.
Demographics
Over the 29th and 30th of March 2011, 1,697 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.3% of the sample were male, 3.6% in their twenties, 47.0% in their thirties, and 49.4% in their forties.
Every time my mother emails me she always comments about how stoic and resolute the people in the affected areas are when they are interviewed on television, so I’m sure she’ll be impressed by Q3B, showing that over a third of these in unaffected areas are saving electricity too. Areas south of about Mount Fuji or so are on 60 Hertz, so we cannot donate much electricity up to the 50 Hertz north, so there is no logical reason for us to cut back, but for reasons of moral support we are. Read the rest of this entry »
Disasters are perhaps the most common spur towards reviewing one’s own preparedness, as this recent survey from iShare into preparedness found out.
Demographics
Over the 23rd and 24th of March 2011 1,773 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 72.6% of the sample were male, 5.2% in their twenties, 47.6% in their thirties, and 47.2% in their forties. The demographics seem a bit skewed, but the report does not say why, although given the questions perhaps it was for married with children respondents only?
As before, here is a list of various Red Crosses that you can donate to:
If you’re in Japan, may I recommend investigating donating your time or skills, not just money – I’m still investigating myself, so if anyone has any practical suggestions… Read the rest of this entry »
Over the 16th and 17th of March 2011 (the Wednesday and Thursday after the earthquake on Friday the 11th) 148,222 members of the Macromill monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. No demographic breakdown was presented, however. 3,140 respondents were affected by the earthquake.
It’s interesting that 31.1% of those unaffected said that they wanted to or had given blood; at work this week we had our regular visit from the blood donation van, yet when it was announced on the PA there was no mention of encouraging people to give this time round to help out, which did seem odd. Being from a mad cow country, however, I cannot donate here in Japan.
This coming financial year I think I reach my once every ten years one month holiday; I am seriously thinking about volunteering to help out up north. I think I’ll also suggest to those further up the chain that this year’s work experience, where a few people select/get selected to work in a retail establishment to experience the front line, also offer the opportunity for people to volunteer to help the recovery of the affected areas. Read the rest of this entry »
A recent survey from iShare looked at switch OTC medicines, the term used to refer to medicines that used to be only available on prescription, but have now switched to being available Over The Counter in pharmacies.
Demographics
Between the 24th and 28th of February 2011 641 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.9% of the sample were male, 28.4% in their twenties, 32.6% in their thirties, and 39.0% in their forties.
Recently, the first medicine to become a Switch OTC medicine is loxoprofen sodium, a non-steroid anit-inflammatory drug, now manufactured and sold by Daiichi Mitsui Health Care as Loxonin S. Today I saw for the first time an advert for it, a sticker on a train door; having this survey in mind I actually paid attention for once! According to the advert below, it is being promoted for headaches and period pains.
Between the 28th of January and 1st of February 2011 1,094 members of the goo Research oonline monitor group completd a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.1% of the sample were female, 20.1% between 18 and 29 years old, 20.1% in their thirties, 19.7% in their forties, 19.9% in their fifties, and 20.1% aged sixty or older.
Note that this survey is more a measure of how well companies are projecting their green image, not of how well they are actually enacting policy; my employer features high on the list and … no, I’d better not say!
You’ll notice Japan Tobacco in 11th place overall, which might seem strange, but JT are very clever with their advertising and have persuaded the average person on the street that being downwind of a smoke cloud, accidentally poking kids with ciggies on busy roads, and chucking butts down the drain are the most serious hazards of smoking, thus their awareness campaign plays on the greenness of not doing the above. Japan must be just about the only country in the world where more local governments have enacted measures against smoking on busy streets versus the much more unhealthy aspect of smoking in enclosed spaces.
Finally, note that in the second ranking Apple makes an appearance as the only foreign company in either list. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a survey I wanted to split into two parts, but it didn’t really lend itself to it, so instead here is a big survey from the Cabinet Office Japan into juvenile delinquency.
Demographics
Between the 25th of November and the 5th of December 2010 3,000 members of the general public selected at random from resident registers were approached for face-to-face interviews. 1,886 people, or 62.9% of the sample, agreed to do so. 54.5% of the sample were female, 9.9% in their twenties, 16.3% in their thirties, 16.1% in their forties, 16.4% in their fifties, 22.1% in their sixties, and 19.1% aged seventy or older.
I must admit to not having seen much in the way of delinquency. I don’t think kids hanging out outside convenience stores really is an issue, and although I occasionally hear noisy motorcycle gangs, I don’t associate it with delinquency, just criminality and ineffective policing. Read the rest of this entry »
Even though a month has passed, we still welcome all your donations in Japan! Here’s a list of a few places where you can give:
iShare’s latest look at disaster-related topics was related to 
With Renho, the minister for power cuts, and television advertisements scolding us about using electricity due to ongoing shortage of generation facilities in the Tokyo and northward caused by a slight problem you might have hear something about, iShare took a look at if and how people were 
Disasters are perhaps the most common spur towards reviewing one’s own preparedness, as this recent survey from iShare into 
This week Macromill Research conducted an urgent survey into 
A recent survey from iShare looked at 
This is a survey I wanted to split into two parts, but it didn’t really lend itself to it, so instead here is a big survey from the Cabinet Office Japan into 
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