世論 What Japan Thinks

[ part 1 | part 2 | part 3 ]

Continuing on from part one, the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (that seems to be the official title anyway), conducted a wide-ranging survey regarding the people of Japan’s everyday life. This is rather a large survey, so it will be published in three parts on subsequent days. 6,924 people participated in the poll, conducted by face-to-face interviews in various areas throughout Japan. In this section, the Japanese reveal themselves to be rather materialistic, and even though the first part saw people most worried about their old age, living for today takes priority.

Q7: When you have had free time recently, what sort of activities have you performed? (Multiple answer)

Listening to radio or watching television	55.2%
Enjoying hobbies	40.8%
Leisurely resting	37.6%
Reading newspapers and magazines, etc	34.1%
Spend time with friends	30.0%
Enjoying things as a family group	29.9%
Going shopping	26.6%
Sports and other physical activities	19.0%
Going on trips	18.6%
Using computer or mobile phone to find out information, read mail, etc	16.3%
Absorbing knowledge	7.0%
Community or voluntary work	6.3%
Other	2.0%
Don’t know	0.7%

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[ part 1 | part 2 | part 3 ]

The Cabinet Office, Government of Japan (that seems to be the official title anyway), conducted a wide-ranging survey regarding the people of Japan’s everyday life. This is rather a large survey, so it will be published in three parts on subsequent days. 6,924 people participated in the poll, conducted by face-to-face interviews in various areas throughout Japan. Most people are basically happy to some degree, but the shadow of ill-health and old age hangs over many people.

Q1: Compared with this time last year, how is your home life?

Improving	4.0%
About the same	68.9%
Getting worse	26.1%
Don’t know	1.1%

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In my wife’s daily newspaper, the Seikyo Shimbun, there was a short article regarding statistics on old people in Japan who live alone. Whether or not old folk living alone is a good thing or not, I’ll leave it for others to comment, but one one hand both my grandmothers lived alone for most of their retirements, but in the sme town as our family so someone visited them almost every day, whereas in Japan they have adverts for a kettle that phones home with statistics of daily usage so you can tell if Grannie’s been making tea or not.

In 2004 the government carried out a survey, and discovered that there was 2,820,000 women over 65 living alone, about triple the figure of 910,000 for men. In the last three years alone, this figure has increased by 180,000. Over half of the women had got into the situation by outliving their husbands, around double the percentage for men outliving their wives. About 10% lived alone due to having never married, but why the remaining people are living alone, it is not recorded. Presenting the population of single seniors separated by sex and age, we get the following table:

Males 65-69	7.4%
Males 70-74	6.8%
Males 74-79	5.1%
Males 80-84	3.0%
Males 85+	1.9%
Females 65-69	16.0%
Females 70-74	19.5%
Females 74-79	19.5%
Females 80-84	13.0%
Females 85+	7.8%