世論 What Japan Thinks

A few months ago I remember seeing a news segment on internet-based social lending services, but I cannot say the idea appealed to me.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 26th of July 2010 1,073 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.9% of the sample were male, 15.8% were in their teens, 18.5% in their twenties, 20.8% in their thirties, 16.7% in their forties, 16.0% in their fifties, and 12.2% aged sixty or older.

Social lending services are basically online swap services. The one I saw on the television was points-based. Lending stuff out gained you points, borrowing stuff cost you points. Much of the stuff being circulated was household goods; items seemed to spend a month with one family before moving directly on to another, and another. However, rather than being something like, say, a high-end espresso maker, most of the items seemed to be not worth much more than the postage they would cost. Brand clothes and bags seemed to be another line that I could at least understand the attraction of.
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This is the first I’ve heard of such a thing as social lending, cash loans between individuals, but I consider myself educated after reading this survey on the matter conducted by iBridge Research Plus and reported on by japan.internet.com.

Demographics

On the 30th of November 2009 300 members of the iBridge monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, 9% in their twenties, 31.7% in their thirties, 38.7% in their forties, 14.7% in their fifties, and 6.0% in their sixties.

There are apparently two main types of social lending; auction style (maneo being one example) and market style with AQUSH being one of this style.

I don’t think I’d touch any of these services with a barge pole – I would fear that they would be even more scammer-riddled than the average auction site!
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