世論 What Japan Thinks

iShare recently took a look at free samples, in particular those applied for over the internet. This survey was conducted in conjuction with the affiliate marketing service Affiliate B.

Demographics

Between the 1st and 3rd of February 2010 983 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private interent-based questionnaire. 59.2% of the sample were male, 31.6% in their twenties, 32.6% in their thirties, and 35.8% in their forties.

My wife’s a bit of a free sample addict; every other week or so she’s getting a trial sample of some cosmetic or other. It always does seem rather odd that the companies usually seem to have lotteries to choose who gets a free sample rather than giving it to the first few hundred applicants, but I’m sure there must be a good reason.

I also guess given the cooperation with an affiliate company that there must be some monetary incentive for getting sign-ups. Q1SQ2 seems to suggest they also do pay-per-post campaigns – indeed, examining their site they seem to be a link broker.
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I read recently that part of the new citizenship requirements for the UK is learning how to queue, so judging by this survey into queue-jumping from iShare, similar lessons may be needed in Japan.

Demographics

Between the 27th of January and 1st of February 2010 550 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.7% of the sample were male, 30.2% in their twenties, 34.5% in their thirties, and 35.3% in their forties.

I’m too timid to scold queue-jumpers, although it is something I very rarely see in Japan. I once accidentally jumped a queue at a hospital and got shoved out by someone behind me…
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I have an irrational dislike of seeing people using toothpicks, the subject of a survey from iShare.

Demographics

Between the 27th of January and 1st of February 2010 500 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.7% of the sample were male, 30.2% in their twenties, 34.5% in their thirties, and 35.3% in their forties.

I have once used a toothpick in a restaurant, but it didn’t feel right. Old guys wondering around chewing the end of a toothpick in particular irritates me. Oh, and on a flight to the USA this week the American woman in the seat beside me spend a lot of time picking the remains of her beef or chicken out of her teeth.

Note that many (most?) restaurants in Japan have toothpicks at the table.
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A recent survey from iShare into Windows and Mac usage revealed that Mac users were more interested in new computers and the design of domestic appliances.

Demographics

Between the 2nd and 5th of February 2010 492 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.1% of the sample were male, 28.0% in their twenties, 31.1% in their thirties, and 40.9% in their forties.

I did work with Mac OS many, many years ago, but I found it rather disappointing. I felt it was being just too clever, or perhaps the secret to enjoying the Mac is to “Think Different”, and not expect it to be as awkward as Windows.
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Watch any breakfast show on Japanese TV and you’ll often see lengthy segments where various celebrities from the A-List to the Z-List talk about their love life. This recent survey from iShare looked at this topic of celebrities pairing off and breaking up.

Demographics

Between the 28th of January and the 2nd of February 2010 511 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 55.0% of the sample were male, 33.1% in their twenties, 34.1% in their thirties, and 32.9% in their forties.

I must say I do find all the news rather tedious. Mind you, I certainly cannot curse at Japan as Google News UK’s Entertainment segment has been full of the worst sort of break-up news about people I know even less about than the average Japanese personality.
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iShare recently conducted a rather interesting survey into email addresses on CVs (résumés), which produced the rather suprising result that email addresses were not that popular.

Demographics

Between the 19th and 22nd of January 2010 497 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.8% of the sample were male, 33.2% in their twenties, 30.4% in their thirties, and 36.4% in their forties.

In Q1SQ3, the type of free provider used makes a different; I would give bonus points to someone using Gmail, for instance, but a Hotmail or AOL address would be immediately round-filed!
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iShare recently surveyed its userbase to find out what they thought of the iPad and other tablet form-factor computers.

Demographics

Between the 29th of January and the 3rd of February 2010 501 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.9% of the sample were male, 34.7% in their twenties, 32.5% in their thirties, and 32.7% in their forties.

I think the iPad will be a relative success in the USA amongst those people who are not interested in computers, but not until it has a camera and can do Skype calling relatively effortless. In Japan – well, I argued the iPhone would fail and I was reasonably correct until they fixed the flaws I had pointed out. I think the iPad, even more than the iPhone, needs a full digital television tuner; One Seg is too low resolution. With that I think they can sell it to people living in a typical shoebox as a reasonable substitute for a television and PC.
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iShare recently asked their survey panel about what food smells get their juices flowing.

Demographics

Between the 6th and 12th of January 2010 588 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.6% of the sample were male, 32.1% in their twenties, 32.8% in their thirties, and 35.0% in their forties.

I love depachika on the whole, although I stay away from the meat counter. My least favourite food smell is buta-man, Chinese pork steamed bun, which is sold at a couple of stations on the way home, and anyone bringing it into my carriage really turns my stomach.
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Don’t say I don’t bring you rather strange surveys, as here is iShare’s look at sewing buttons, an activity that sems to be taught in most Japanese schools, to boys as well as girls.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 21st of January 2010 509 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.9% of the sample were male, 33.2% in their twenties, 34.0% in their thirties, and 32.8% in their forties.

I never learnt such matters in school myself, although we did have home economics, but that focused on cooking skills on the whole. If I lose a button these days I just ask wifey nicely to fix it, and sometimes she in fact actually does do it for me.
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With the Winter Olympics due to open on the 12th (or 13th Japan time), here’s a timely survey from iShare into the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Demographics

Between the 19th and 22nd of January 2010 497 members of the CLUb BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.8% of the sample were male, 33.2% in their twenties, 30.4% in their thirties, and 36.4% in their forties.

There’s been two interesting bits of news about Japanese athletes: first, Miho Takagi, the 15 year old speed skater with the unfortunately-designed outfit, has been mentioned on the news as much regarding her chance to be able to use English as her actual skating, then a lead story on one channel today was Kazuhiro Kokubo, the halfpipe snowboarder, getting banned from Japan’s welcoming ceremony for being sloppy-dressed at Narita airport, having – shock-horror – a loose tie and his shirt tails hanging out.

The Olympic committee have set a target of 10 medals for Vancouver, but 85% think Japan will get four or less…
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