Curry eating habits in Japan

I must have missed the first two times this survey came around, as I see this survey from MyVoice into curry is marked as their third time of asking. I’ve previously done DIMSDRIVE on curry, however.

Demographics

Over the first five days of August 2009 13,747 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 34% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 20% aged fifty or older.

Most Japanese currys are really more like spicy stews, and as you can see from Q5, none of the top brands have Indian branding. I usually have currys made from dehydrated roux base, which are OK I suppose, but very occasionally I have a boil-in-the-bag, which are excellent! Sadly, there’s no Indian curry houses nearby that I can get a proper carry-out from.

Research results

Q1: About how often do you eat curry at home? (Sample size=13,747)

Once a week or more	8.0%
Twice or thrice a month	43.8%
Once a month	32.3%
Once every two or three months	10.5%
Once every six months	2.2%
Almost never eat at home	2.2%
Don’t eat curry	0.9%

Q2: How do you prepare the curry that you eat at home? (Sample size=home curry eaters, multiple answer)

Use shop-bought curry roux	69.4%
Use boil-in-the-bag curry	33.4%
Someone else in the family prepares it	28.1%
Make myself from curry powder, spices	10.1%
Make myself from curry paste	6.7%
Buy in ready-made curry	3.8%
Use frozen curry	1.5%
Order delivery curry	1.4%
Other	0.8%
No answer	0.3%

Q3: When do you make curry at home? (Sample size=home curry makers, multiple answer)

When I want to eat curry	69.5%
When other family members want curry	50.7%
When I want to cook something	30.7%
When I want to cook in bulk	24.4%
When I want something spicy	16.5%
When I want to make to make everything in just one pot	13.1%
When I want to eat lots of vegetables	12.2%
When I want to make something cheap	10.6%
When I don’t have much of an appetite	8.8%
When a lot of people (friends, family) are eating together	7.1%
When I want to have little to tify up afterwards	5.6%
When I want to build up stamina	4.5%
When I want to eat something rich	2.5%
When I want a nostagic taste	1.3%
Other	6.7%
No answer	0.4%

Q4: Where do you buy your curry base (roux, spices, etc) for your home-made curry? (Sample size=home curry makers, multiple answer)

Supermarket	95.1%
Discount store	9.1%
Co-operative	8.4%
Department store food court	2.8%
100 yen shop	2.3%
Convenience store	1.8%
Internet shopping	1.6%
Curry chain, curry shop	1.2%
Restaurant	0.5%
Catalogue shopping	0.3%
Hotel	0.2%
Other	2.3%
Don’t buy myself	1.3%
No answer	0.5%

Q5: Which shop-bought curry roux do you use the most? (Sample size=curry roux users from Q2)

Kokumaro Curry (House Foods)	22.4%
Vermont Curry (House Foods)	18.5%
Two-Layer Juku Curry (Glico)	14.8%
Java Curry (House Foods)	12.4%
Torokeru Curry (S&B Foods)	9.9%
Golden Curry (S&B Foods)	7.5%
Dinner Curry (S&B Foods)	3.7%
Prime Curry series (House Foods)	1.9%
Own brand (private brand) curry	1.7%
ZEPPIN (Glico)	0.7%
Curry Half series (S&B Foods)	0.5%
Royal Chef Mediterranean Curry (S&B Foods)	0.4%
Beef Curry LEE (Glico)	0.2%
Granny Clair’s Thick Curry (Glico)	0.2%
Prince of Curry (S&B Foods)	0.1%
Other	4.4%
No answer	0.6%

Q6: What points are important when buying curry roux? (Sample size=curry roux users from Q2, multiple answer)

Flavour	69.7%
Price	64.5%
Hotness	44.5%
Body	21.0%
Maker	16.8%
Amount of contents	15.1%
Aroma	13.8%
Easy-to-use shape	11.8%
Sweetness	11.1%
Brand	10.2%
Thickness	7.8%
Curry style (Thai, Western, etc)	3.4%
Packaging	2.1%
Other	2.9%
No answer	0.6%

Q7: How particular are you about the curry roux brands you use? (Sample size=curry roux users from Q2)

Very particular	7.1%
Quite particular	45.0%
Not really particular	40.3%
Not particular at all	5.9%
No answer	1.8%