世論 What Japan Thinks

The government of Japan may have changed, but the Cabinet Office Japan surveys are carrying on – it’ll be interesting to see if I can detect a change in tone in the questions. This survey was entitled a built environment for pedestrians, but also covered most other local transport means.

Demographics

Between the 16th of July and the 2nd of August 2009 5,000 members of the public were selected at random to complete the survey; 3,157 people, or 63.1%, agreed to cooperate. 54.4% of this sample were female, 7.8% in their twenties, 14.3% in their thirties, 17.1% in their forties, 19.8% in their fifties, 23.4% in their sixties, and 17.6% aged seventy or older. Additionally, 46.1% were employed, 11.6% were self-employed, 3.0% were home workers, and 39.3% were unemployed, including students and housewives, who made up 60.9% of that 39.3%. Finally, 47.8% drove some form of motorised transport almost every day, 15.7% several times a week, 7.3% several times a month, 8.3% had a licence but didn’t drive, and 20.9% did not have a licence.

For me, to walk or cycle to the shops involves traversing an exceptionally steep hill and a bit of pavement-free road, whereas instead my train season ticket allows me to hop on a train and ride one stop down the line to get right into my suburban town centre.
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The government of Japan may have changed, but the Cabinet Office Japan surveys are carrying on – it’ll be interesting to see if I can detect a change in tone in the questions. This survey was entitled a built environment for pedestrians, but also covered most other local transport means.

Demographics

Between the 16th of July and the 2nd of August 2009 5,000 members of the public were selected at random to complete the survey; 3,157 people, or 63.1%, agreed to cooperate. 54.4% of this sample were female, 7.8% in their twenties, 14.3% in their thirties, 17.1% in their forties, 19.8% in their fifties, 23.4% in their sixties, and 17.6% aged seventy or older. Additionally, 46.1% were employed, 11.6% were self-employed, 3.0% were home workers, and 39.3% were unemployed, including students and housewives, who made up 60.9% of that 39.3%. Finally, 47.8% drove some form of motorised transport almost every day, 15.7% several times a week, 7.3% several times a month, 8.3% had a licence but didn’t drive, and 20.9% did not have a licence.

I have a licence but rent a car about once every two months or so, so I don’t really know where I would fall in the demographic question above. I also managed to get a fixed penalty parking fine (15,000 yen!) last weekend, but that’s another story.

My commute is train only – my home is one minute from the station, work is two minutes away at the other end, so I cannot see any point in having a car.
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Recently the Cabinet Office Japan sponsored a very detailed survey into the public’s perception of public transport safety.

Demographics

3,000 people over the age of twenty were randomly selected from resident lists from all over the country. Between the 24th of July and 3rd of August 2008 face-to-face interviews took place. 39.3% refused or were not resident at that address, etc, so in total 1,822 people completed the survey. 53.9% of the sample were female, 8.1% in their twenties, 14.6% in their thirties, 17.5% in their forties, 20.8% in their fifties, 21.5% in their sixties, 13.0% in their seventies, and 4.4% aged eighty or older.

In Q8 I find the actions classified as “unsafe behaviour” quite surprising. Dashing into closing train doors and getting stuck in the door is dangerous, but checking in at the last minute is hardly unsafe, just impolite at worse.

Talking of unsafe behaviour, I flew trans-Pacific with NorthWest a couple of days ago in an exit seat with two of the crew opposite, but one of them grabbed her mobile and started checking her email during the final approach! They then went as far as to tut quietly at a passenger whose mobile rung as the plane taxied.
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