世論 What Japan Thinks

Here’s an interesting survey from goo Ranking, looking at what people use as their own barometer of an improving economy.

Demographics

Between the 6th and 8th of August 2013 the survey was conducted, but goo Ranking have still not got round to adding the page that contains the further demographic information. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

As I work for a company that is a bit, err, under the weather, shall we say, I suppose any barometer I have would be rather pessimistic one, so I shall not share. However, for the second number 3, our employee trips got cancelled last year, not that I personally miss them, but that’s another story!
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I don’t know if it’s all part of the mood of self-restraint or economising since the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Disaster, but the two main survey sources I use have been printing shorter than usual surveys, which means I’m seeing an economic effect of the recent earthquake, which was also the subject of a recent survey by iShare.

Demographics

Between the 8th and 11th of April 2011 761 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service employed either full-time or part-time or self-employed completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 59.1% of the sample were male, 2.1% were in their twenties, 45.5% were in their thirties, and 52.4% in their forties. Due to iShare making an error in reporting the male-female ratio, I can deduce that the original sample was 922 people, so 161 people, or 17.5% of the original sample were either unemployed, in casual work, or full-time homemakers.

I’m very surprised that only the minority have seen adverse effects, as it seems that almost all businesses are being affected to some extent by the mood of self-restraint, or even just simply breaks in the supply chain due to upstream or downstream companies being directly affected by the earthquake or tsunami.

However, my own workplace has had no direct adverse effects, but I suppose working in research and development we don’t have any real customers.
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With almost every day bringing more bad news of how the economic situation at both home and abroad is deteriorating, this recent survey from DIMSDRIVE Research into the economy is most timely.

Demographics

Between the 28th or January and the 11th of February 2009 10,233 members of the DIMSDRIVE monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.2% of the sample were male, 1.0% in their teens, 12.5% in their twenties, 33.2% in their thirties, 29.9% in thri forties, 16.1% in their fifties, and 7.3% in their sixties. By occupation, 35.2% were full-time regular employees, 19.4% housewives, 11.3% part-time or casual, 7.6% unemployed, 6.9% self-employed, 6.1% contract workers or temps, 3.6% civil servants, 2.8% students, 2.6% freelance, 2.2% senior management or board-level, 0.9% other governmental organisation employees, and 1.4% in other jobs.

We’ve had major changes at the office due to our sales falling off a cliff. Overtime has been cut (this actually is a good thing, IMO), bonuses cut too due to a complex link between overtime and bonuses, management-level pay and expense account cuts, etc, etc. However, the best thing they could do is to address Warm Biz and Cool Biz as more than just a slogan and actually put some effort into ensuring that the air conditioning runs efficiently. How are you doing?

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[part 1] [part 2] [part 3]

NTV did a survey on a number of hot topics in the news right now – a lot of questions, but not much detail, so the exact meaning of some of the answers is up for debate. They carries out the survey from the 14th to 16th of this month, asking 1000 people but only getting 479 sets of replies, so it’s a bit of a small sample.

Q11: The Food Safety Commission presented a report that USA beef imports were basically safe, and would want to see imports restarted. Do you support resuming USA beef imports?

Support	43.0%
Don’t support	49.3%
Don’t know, no answer	7.7%

Q12: Rakuten has been buying TBS shares, and has proposed management integration. What do you think about TBS and Rakuten’s management integration?

By combining broadcast and (internet-based) transmission, I have expectations of new growth	20.5%
TBS’s side says it’s sudden, but I want to see change in the future	28.4%
I worry whether public (free-to-air?) broadcast will continue	28.8%
Others	4.6%
Don’t know, no answer	17.8%

Q13: Yoshiaki Murakami, against the wishes of the Hanshin Railways management ranks, in order to raise the company valuation, has proposed to float the subsiduary Hanshin Tigers baseball team on the stock market. Do you support this proposal?

Support	21.7%
Oppose	55.3%
Don’t know, no answer	23.0%

This is a question that frurstrates me a bit – I know the majority seem opposed to the idea, but why? Is there a general opposition to the idea of floating sports teams on the stock market, or is there opposition to Murakami personally, or is it just reluctance in the face of rapid change?

Q14: Tatsunori Hara has been appointed the new manager of the Giants baseball team. Do you think baseball will become interesting next year?

I think it will become interesting	49.7%
I don’t think it will become interesting	34.2%
Don’t know, no answer	16.1%

There seems an implication in this question that this year’s weak Giants automatically made the season dull. Although they are the top team in terms of support in Japan, the question seems loaded to me.

Q15: Do you think the Japanese economy will continue to improve?

I think so	36.5%
I don’t think so	55.7%
Don’t know, no answer	7.7%

Finished! A bit of a mixed bag there, but interesting opinions on quite a few of the burning issues. Thanks for reading all the way through.

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3]