This survey from MyVoice into corporate sports looked at the issue of companies funding their own teams that, on the whole, compete in corporate leagues filled with lots of other company-funded teams.
Demographics
Over the first five days of May 2009 14,884 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 34% in their thirties, 31% in their forties, and 19% aged fifty or older.
There’s a lot of corporate teams in Japan where the sportspeople are employed full-time by the company to be representatives, although the current harsh economic times has seen the death of the amuzingly-named Seibu Prince Rabbits.
My employer also has such teams, with basketball being the main sport that I can think of. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a topic that makes me purr with satisfaction, a recent survey from iShare into pet blogs which found that blogging cats were much more popular than dogs.
Demographics
Between the 14th and 19th of May 2009 565 mobile phone-owning members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.6% of the sample were male, 35.0% in their twenties, 31.7% in their thirties, and 33.3% in their forties.
I (well, my wife used my name) also recently won a cat photo book. In Q3, the “other” category would include alpaca, as there is a bit of an alpaca fad doing the rounds these days. Read the rest of this entry »
The “Japanese” in the title refers to the people answering the questionnaire, not the make of the computers as a few foreign names found their way into this survey from MyVoice into computer maker brand image.
Demographics
Over the first five days of May 2009 14,915 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were male, 1% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 35% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 30% aged fifty or older.
It’s no surprise to me in Q5 that Apple came top, as a previous survey into design found Apple was way out in the lead.
Although there are just 371 or so confirmed cases of the “new-type” flu, as it’s officially-labelled in Japan, a look by iBridge Research Plus at swine flu and other spam email and reported on by japan.internet.com found that within their sample swine flu-related electronic viruses were also infectious.
Demographics
On the 25th of May 2009 300 members of the iBridge monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.3% of the sample were male, 19.7% in their twenties, 36.7% in their thirties, 28.7% in their forties, 14.3% in their fifties, and 0.7% in their sixties.
I’m not sure why this survey used “swine flu” in all their questions whereas, as mentioned above, “new-type flu” is the almost universal name.
I’d love to know how 2% of the population managed to avoid hearing any news about swine flu!
I’ve not seen any swine flu virus spam, but in a couple of weeks I’ll be heading off to right by the Mexican border, so I might be able to experience it first-hand!
Here’s a ranking survey from goo Ranking, as usual, that I never quite got round to translating when it was published last month, looking at the top thirty curious product ideas in Japan.
Demographics
Between the 23rd and 25th of March 2009 1,043 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private online questionnaire. 52.2% of the sample were male, 7.8% in their teens, 17.1% in their twenties, 28.2% in their thirties, 24.8% in their forties, 11.4% in their fifties, and 10.7% 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.
Bras for men is not an original idea, as this video demonstrates:
Between the 21st and 24th of April 2009 1,071 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.4% of the sample were female, 9.2% were in their teens, 13.7% in their twenties, 27.5% in their thirties, 27.5% in their forties, 11.7% in their fifties, and 10.4% aged sixty or older.
Number three is quite good, but all the rest seem to be more fitting for a schoolchild; I’d be more inclined to use “my train had a puncture”. Read the rest of this entry »
This month’s regular look at mobile phone upgrade needs (the 46th time it has been conducted) by goo Research and reported on by japan.internet.com had interesting results regarding two big recent developments in mobile phones, smartphones and high pixel-count cameras.
Demographics
Between the 18th and 22nd of May 2009 exactly 1,000 mobile phone-using members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private intenet-based questionnaire. 52.5% of the sample were female, 2.0% in their teens, 16.7% in their twenties, 33.7% in their thirties, 28.4% in their forties, and 19.2% aged fifty or older.
This summer’s models brings cameras with up to 10 million pixels, which is getting to be overkill, as packing more pixels more densely actually can give worse results as one starts to get interference problems. In addition, without a decent lens you’re not going to be taking very good photographs anyway, and looking at the camera on the linked web page, the big round thing looks just for show as there is another tiny circle inside which looks to be the business end.
The number interested in smartphones is pretty low, but I suspect that they have an image of being foreign market-designed phones that feature few of the essential Japanese functions such as emoji, One-seg television, and smartcards. Up to now only Sharp with their SH-04 and related models have produced that sort of smartphone, but with many domestic manufacturers rushing to Google’s Android, expect to see many fully-functioned domestic smartphones this winter or next spring, assuming the carriers don’t request to the manufacturers that they avoid too much openness. Read the rest of this entry »
Although recently I’ve translated a number of surveys that promised more than they delivered, this time I feel this one, the fourth survey by MyVoice into blogging has a number of interesting revelations.
Demographics
Over the first five days of May 2009 14,823 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 35% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 19% aged fifty or older.
In Q4, it’s interesting that politics isn’t a selectable theme, but given that just 5% blogged about news in general, I wonder how small that would have been.
Regarding Q5, in Japan they are called blog parts, but in the West they are usually widgets or scriptlets. Looking through the above-linked web site I came across this entertaining one:
For Q6, I’ve been to a cake-related blogger event! I’ve also sadly had to turn down two invites to Danny Choo-organised and corporately-sponsored Tokyo CGM Night, although I did see his Dad’s shoe shop right beside the free cake venue, if that counts for anything.
For Q7, I’d have to immodestly answer “somewhere to use my knowledge, information to contribute to society”, although I do have a letting off steam blog hiding in the shadows… What is blogging to you? Read the rest of this entry »
The results of this survey from Marsh Inc and reported on by japan.internet.com into mobile phone costs and fees are not really that surprising, especially since a year or so ago companies were ordered to stop their free or one yen phone promotions and allow the consumer to see more clearly the true costs of a free phone.
Demographics
Between the 20th and 22nd of May 2009 300 members of the Marsh monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was 50:50 male and female, 2.3% in their teens, 17.7% in their twenties, 20.0% in their thirties, 20.0% in their forties, 20.0% in their fifties, and 20.0% aged sixty or older.
To research this story, I popped into a docomo mobile phone shop on the way home. They must have been embarrassed about it, as they only had tiny 8 point type price tags, which showed that all the spring and summer models were between 50,000 and 70,000 yen for the standard spec of 8 megapixel camera, one-seg television, electronic cash and the like. Even three revisions ago’s 18 month old phones were sitting at just under 40,000 yen, so I don’t think I’ll be upgrading my two and a half year old phone just yet!
My basic plan price is reasonable, but the unlimited packet deal at about 4,400 yen per month (on top of 2,000 yen or so basic plan) is just not justified for my current phone. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a topic that makes me purr with satisfaction, a recent survey from iShare into 
The “Japanese” in the title refers to the people answering the questionnaire, not the make of the computers as a few foreign names found their way into this survey from MyVoice into 
Although there are just 371 or so confirmed cases of the “new-type” flu, as it’s officially-labelled in Japan, a look by iBridge Research Plus at 
This month’s regular look at 
Although recently I’ve translated a number of surveys that promised more than they delivered, this time I feel this one, the fourth survey by MyVoice into 
The results of this survey from Marsh Inc and reported on by japan.internet.com into 
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