世論 What Japan Thinks

Yet another positive noise that the Democratic Party of Japan have made since coming into power is the discussion of a smoking ban to prevent second-hand smoking, a topic that was the subject of this recent survey from iShare. Like many other of the DPJ’s proposals, however, this is a rather half-baked idea that doesn’t at the moment have any fines proposed for non-compliance, and a lack of joined-up government has seen talk of punative cigarette tax shelved.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 23rd of February 2010 411 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.5% of the sample were male, 28.7% in their twenties, 32.6% in their thirties, and 38.7% in their forties.

Quite frankly, I find the smoking rates hard to believe. The usual figures I hear quoted are a little over 30% of men and 10% of women, yet here we have 23% and 12%, yet 19% male quitters and an incredible 18% female quitters!

I think there’s only one restaurant that I frequent that makes no particular attempt to separate smokers; all the rest are either all non-smoking or at least make a decent attempt to keep the smokers at bay.
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Last year Kirin started with Kirin Zero, a completely alcohol-free drink that supposedly tastes like beer, and they were soon followed by all the other major brewers. To see how people drink them, iShare conducted a survey into these beer taste soft drinks.

Demographics

Between the 15th and 18th of February 2010 509 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.6% of the sample were male, 31.8% in their twenties, 30.8% in their thirties, and 37.3% in their forties.

I’ve drunk one can once - well, I drunk half a can and poured the rest away. It did look quite beer-like in colour and head, but the taste was just like what I imagine fizzy hops tea would be.

It gets promoted at a couple of the restaurants that I frequent, but it always seems to be priced just the same as real beer, and much higher than ordinary fizzy drinks. I’d stick with ginger beer if I was in the situation of needing to drive after a drinking party!
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As if Japanese television wasn’t mindless enough (there are good shows, but even the good shows are cheap time-fillers), nearly half of the respondents to iShare’s survey into Twitter and television thought the two make a fun mix.

Demographics

Between the 9th and 15th of February 2010 516 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.2% of the sample were male, 30.4% in their twenties, 33.7% in their thirties, and 35.9% in their forties.

Even worse, about two in five fancied Twittering with the people on the box. I’ve seen a couple of late-night programmes that feature the people in the studio checking emails for topics, and it’s incredibly boring just watching the top of someone’s head as they mutter at a monitor trying to summarise a message.
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I’m not really sure how the pie chart I have extracted from this survey by iShare into body complexes relates to the subject, but I thought it was interesting enough to graph.

Demographics

Between the 3rd and 8th of February 2010 497 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 56.1% of the sample were male, 31.6% in their twenties, 29.4% in their thirties, and 39.0% in their forties.

I don’t have any complexes, I don’t think, although I used to have a thing about my teeth, but that was a justified complex as they were in a terrible state, so a good few visits to the dentist fixed all that.

I’d love to have seen hair as a separate category, as I think many Japanese men are conditioned by the media to expect to have a full head of black hair well into their middle age. I’m going a bit thin on top and silver in the stubble myself, but it seems to bother my wife more than me!
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iShare took a look at looking people in the eye when talking and found over one in four don’t usually do so.

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 decided to check how I did tonight as I was meeting a whole bunch of new foreigners at work (the company-sponsored social event really pushed the boat out with a few boxes of Mister Donut and pots of coffee. Let’s talk about doughtnuts for a while in these parentheses - there wasn’t even a single Pon De Ring or any of their new range; since they got a bulk order they must have filled up with the most boring selection possible) Ah yes, back at the party (I want to have another parenthetical digression, but I’ll resist) I did find I looked people in the eyes just about all the time when they were talking, and most of the time when I was, I hope, which was quite a bit more eye contact than I thought I did do.
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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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