How do we perceive COVID-19 Crisis?

Yamaneko Research Institute Inc.
Platform for Social Innovation

MAY 1, 20201

Table of Contents

1. Objectives of the survey ......................................................................................................... 3
2. Survey and analysis methods .................................................................................................. 4
3. Results.................................................................................................................................. 6
3-1. Health concerns surrounding COVID-19 .......................................................................... 6
3-2. Impact of COVID-19 on work and income conditions ....................................................... 9
3-3. Extension of self-restraint and state of emergency periods................................................ 14
3-4. Support for the government’s response ........................................................................... 18
4. List of survey responses ....................................................................................................... 25
Fig.

1: Concern about COVID-19 impact on own health or that of family member............................... 6

Fig.

2: Level of concern about own health among respondents based on television viewing habit....... 7

Fig.

3: Degree of concern about health due to COVID-19 ....................................................................... 9

Fig.

4: Changes in household income due to COVID-19, and future outlook ....................................... 10

Fig.

5: Changes in individual income due to COVID-19 (by employment type) .................................. 11Fig.

6: Employment concerns and current lifestyle struggles due to COVID-19 ................................. 12

Fig.

7: Changes in work style due to COVID-19 (by employment type) ............................................... 12Fig.

8: Payment of wages or equivalent compensation (by employment type) ..................................... 13Fig.

9: Opinions on tolerable self-restraint period and lifting of state of emergency .......................... 14

Fig.

10: Tolerable self-restraint period by employment type ................................................................ 15

Fig.

11: Suitable self-restraint period by area (by employment type) .................................................. 16Fig.

12: Measures to prevent infection, and balancing economic concerns .......................................... 17

Fig.

13: Support for individual economic stimulus measures ............................................................... 19Fig.

14: Usage of one-time relief payments and interest in donations ................................................. 20

Fig.

15: Collection of information to decide on donation recipient ....................................................... 20

Fig.

16: Potential donation recipients and consideration of donation based on tax incentives ........... 21

Fig.

17: Performance rating for the government's response to COVID-19 crisis ................................. 22Fig.

18: Concerns over employment and performance rating for major political parties .................... 23

2

1. Objectives of the survey
This survey sought to shed light on the following questions: What is the impactof the COVID-19 pandemic on society and people's lives and how many people arestruggling financially? How many people are concerned about their health and the healthof their family members, and what outlook do people have for their lives if self-restraint
measures are extended? How do people rate the government’s response to COVID-19?
Do people have different views on how the response to COVID-19 has been handled andefforts to balance those measures with the economy and what is the basis for thosediffering views?
This survey is non-partisan, and did not receive any funding from politicalparties or public institutions. The Platform for Social Innovation is a foundation focusedon promoting diversity and contributing to society, and the president of Yamaneko
Research Institute serves as a visiting executive fellow for the foundation. Please visit the
Platform for Social Innovation website for more information about the foundation(http://www.sohatsu.or.jp/).
Yamaneko Research Institute, Inc. and Platform for Social Innovation retains theintellectual property rights to this survey, but anyone around the world can utilize theresults provided they provide a proper citation. Also, for the benefit of society, we are notcharging a fee for the secondary use of the content of this survey report. If you would liketo use the survey data, please contact the Yamaneko Research Institute via its website(www.yamaneko.co.jp).

3

2. Survey and analysis methods
The Covid-19 Survey was conducted by the survey firm Nikkei Research Inc. In
total, 2,229 men and women aged 18 and over with internet access took the survey onlinefrom April 27 to 28, 2020. 2,229 answers were collected and arranged by age. After data
cleaning (see below), the total number of valid answers were 2,098 nationwide, broken
down as follows: 18-19 years: 212, 20-29 years: 312, 30-39 years: 320, 40-49 years: 323,
50-59 years: 325, 60-69 years: 315, 70 years and above: 291.
To ensure an accurate segment analysis, we collected a sufficient number of
respondents for each age group. The results other than the preliminary questions about
gender, occupation, residential area (prefecture), and other attributes related to respondent
profiles, were weighted back according to the population of each age group as of October
2019. Although the exact margin of error cannot be calculated, this method keeps theincome bias low and results in a regional distribution that is approximately proportional
to the population; however, because we did not secure a sufficient sample from small
business owners and free-lancers, a separate survey will be needed to ascertain theeconomic circumstances and perceptions of those segments.
Due to the nature of internet panel surveys, however, some degree of bias exists
because the respondents are internet users and may be more aware of the issues. We
encouraged respondents to correct their answers to ensure that household income did not
fall below individual income. In addition, after ensuring respondents did not mechanicallychoose the same answer for multiple questions, we cleaned the data by excluding those
respondents who chose pensioner, homemaker, or unemployed for Q3 (occupation) andsaid they have not been working since before the crisis on Q13 (changes in work style)but did not chose “unemployed” on Q12 (concerns about unemployment). As a result,
131 of the 2,229 respondents were removed, leaving an actual total of 2,098.
In the question data in the appendix of this report, the initial questions pertaining
to gender, age, income, education level, media consumption, and other attributes thatprovide an overall profile for each respondent, are not weighted back according to age.
In terms of how opinions are solicited, while some telephone surveys conductedby newspapers and other media outlets pose a second question of “If you would dare tochoose one, which would it be?” given the fact that Japanese respondents tend to answer
4

“neutral” or “I don’t know.” But this survey does not use such additional prompts. Rather,
the survey presents the four-level opinion scale (ranging from strongly agree to strongly
disagree) and then “neither/I don’t know.” Respondents who are unable to find an answer
that matches their position from among those four options will naturally move their lineof sight to the fifth option (neutral / I don't know).
The survey results were analyzed by primarily using a segment analysis. The
representative attribute in the segment analysis is age, but we also conducted segment
analyses for employment type, household income, and political party performance rating.
In the United States, where there is a stronger sense of party affiliation, segment analyses
are typically conducted by asking respondents which political party they support, but inJapan, where the majority of voters identify as ‘unaffiliated,’ a looser definition ofpolitical party support is needed. For this reason, respondents were not asked to selectone party that they support; rather, segments are divided according to respondents’performance rating levels for political parties.
If you have any questions about the survey methodology, please contact Yamaneko
Research Institute via its website.

53. Results
3-1. Health concerns surrounding COVID-19
The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Japanese citizens has
mainly manifested in the form of concern about contracting the virus (either oneself or amember of one’s family) and about developing a severe case of pneumonia after
becoming infected. Over 40% of respondents indicated they were ‘very concerned’ about
the potential impact of COVID-19 on their health, and about 50% said they were ‘very
concerned’ about the potential impact on the health of a family member. While it is notuncommon for people to be concerned about various social conditions or security-related
issues, it is exceptional for Japanese respondents to express such a high level of concern.
Combined, the respondents indicating concern over impact on their own health or that ofa family member accounted for nearly 90% of the total.

Fig. 1: Concern about COVID-19 impact on own health or that of family member

6

Although numerous forms of “fake news” and fear-inducing reports andprograms surrounding COVID-19 have spread through various media, television has
played an extremely important role in forming public opinion about COVID-19. Our
survey found that concern levels among people who watch television every day were 15
points higher than among people who do not watch television, and 20 points higher thanamong people who only watch television moderately. Although results may naturally varydepending on the television channels and programs watched, the general trend suggeststhat concern levels experienced by people who watch television moderately are different
from those of people who are glued to their television screens every day.

Fig.

2: Level of concern about own health among respondents based on televisionviewing habit

On the other hand, since the internet is a medium where various unconfirmed
information spreads instantaneously through social media, it would seem reasonable toassume that internet usage also contributes to concern levels to a certain extent; however,
our survey only found a 9-point difference in ‘concern about own health’ between people
who do not use the internet at all and those who use the Internet every day (c.f., data in7the appendix). Similarly, newspaper reading habits appeared to have little influence on
concern levels.
While it is natural for people to feel anxiety when confronted with an unknown
contagious disease, it is clear that further fact-finding surveys are necessary to determine
whether the concern levels are appropriate given the actual risk, and whether concerns
are giving rise to secondary adverse effects in the form of loss of sleep, stress, andinstability in family relationships.
In particular, our survey showed that people who are exposed to COVID-19
information on a daily basis via television—and, to a lesser extent, newspapers,
magazines, or even the Internet—tend to have higher anxiety levels. Interestingly, radio
was the only medium that showed a diverging trend, as people who listened to the radio
on a daily basis tended to exhibit slightly less concern about the impact of COVID-19 on
their own health. We believe this demonstrates the importance of structuring one’s day insuch a way as to avoid non-stop consumption of COVID-19 information and engage with
topics that are less serious in nature (in relative terms) and unrelated to the disease.
Elderly men are the demographic most susceptible to severe cases of pneumonia
caused by COVID-19. It would therefore be reasonable to assume that the degree ofconcern about the disease would vary by age group, but the results of our survey revealthat concern pervades society as a whole and that there is not much difference in concern
levels by age group.

8Fig. 3: Degree of concern about health due to COVID-19

3-2. Impact of COVID-19 on work and income conditions
We asked people to indicate how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected theirincome by selecting the appropriate response. In terms of individual income, nearly 70%(i.e., the majority) of respondents revealed their income had more or less remained
unchanged, while nearly 30% reported a drop in income. Turning to family income, 36%of respondents indicated their income had decreased. This means more than one-third ofJapanese households have already suffered a decline in income. In addition, when asked
about their outlook for household income in the future, 52% of respondents anticipated adrop in income, and 17% were worried about a sharp drop in income.

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Fig. 4: Changes in household income due to COVID-19, and future outlook

However, there were major differences in responses by employment type, as
expected. As shown in Figure 5 (see next page), temporary and part-time workers havesuffered a steeper decline in income than full-time or contract employees, who are
believed to have been mainly affected by drops in overtime pay and commuting
allowances due to a transition toward telework. At the same time, the survey revealed thatmany students have been unable to work part time. In addition, freelancers and selfemployed workers have been hit particularly hard financially, with more than 50%
reporting a drop in income.

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Fig. 5: Changes in individual income due to COVID-19 (by employment type)

Unlike in countries such as Germany, where employers have been permitted totransition full-time employees to non-permanent positions in the wake of the COVID-19
outbreak, the regulations governing dismissals of full-time employees in Japan have notbeen relaxed. Consequently, the Japanese unemployment rate has not exhibited the rapid
growth seen in other countries to date. While many employers are struggling with cash
flow at present, estimates by TDB (according to the NHK Special documentary aired on
April 25, 2020) suggest that, if the economic shutdown persists in its current state andassuming the government does not roll out additional measures, over 600,000 companies
may go bankrupt from November 2020. This in turn raises the risk of massive worker
layoffs starting shortly before the projected wave of bankruptcies.
In light of the above, our survey asked about people’s employment concerns, andof the people currently employed, 47% responded they were concerned about theiremployment.
11

Fig. 6: Employment concerns and current lifestyle struggles due to COVID-19

Fig. 7: Changes in work style due to COVID-19 (by employment type)12

In addition, when we surveyed how many people are currently working remotely,on leave from work, or have lost their job due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Figure 7), we
found that 21% of contract employees, freelancers, and self-employed workers, and 16 to
26% of part-time workers including student were on leave from work. It will take time
before the number of people who are on leave from work or have lost their job appear in
the unemployment rate, but 3–4% of temp workers and part-time workers have alreadylost their job. As often observed in the initial stage of a recession, our survey confirmedthat non-regular workers function as an employment control valve that absorbs shocks inthe economy. If the economy remains locked in the current self-restraint mode, theaforementioned workers will likely join the ranks of the unemployed next.

Fig. 8: Payment of wages or equivalent compensation (by employment type)

In addition, based on the wage payment conditions shown in Figure 8, the wagesof contract employees and temp workers have declined compared to full-time employees,
civil servants, and medical and elderly care workers, who continue to enjoy high payment
rates. The share of respondents who indicated they have seen a reduction in wages or are13

not being paid at all was 22% for temp workers and 24% for part-time workers.
Freelancers and self-employed workers make up the segment that is most prone to adverse
effects from self-restraint and work suspensions. Over the half of respondents in thissegment indicated that their compensation has declined, and 26% said they had seen adramatic drop in their income or not been paid at all.

3-3. Extension of self-restraint and state of emergency periods
In our survey, we also gauged people’s attitude toward a potential extension of
the self-restraint and state of emergency periods amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We first
asked how long respondents would be able to tolerate their current self-restraint lifestyle,and subsequently asked if the state of emergency declared by the government should be
lifted. In response to the first question, many respondents said they could tolerate one
more month of self-restraint. On the state of emergency, 46% of respondents felt it should
be extended for another month, 11% of respondents thought it should be lifted on May 6,2020 as promised.

Fig. 9: Opinions on tolerable self-restraint period and lifting of state of emergency
14

Here again, opinions diverged by employment type. As shown in Figure 10 (seenext page), responses on how long self-restraint could be tolerated varied by employment
type.

Fig. 10: Tolerable self-restraint period by employment typeThe workers who are currently facing the highest pressure are temp workers andpart-time workers. For freelancers and self-employed workers, we can infer thatconditions are vastly different based on business type and industry. Conversely,
pensioners are unsurprisingly facing the least pressure; however, the survey also showedthat full-time homemakers will not be able to cope with self-restraint for much longer, as
they shoulder the bulk of the everyday burdens caused by self-restraint—specifically, theimpact from school closures and remote work.
As mentioned above, about half of employed workers are concerned about theiremployment, but people who are not financially affected by a self-restraint lifestyle, suchas pensioners, are inclined to support an extension of the self-restraint period.

15

Next, we inquired about when self-restraint should be lifted for school closures,
restaurants/bar closures, shortened working hours, operations at other commercial
facilities, and travel (Figure 11). The majority of respondents said another month of selfrestraint in these areas would be the maximum they could tolerate, but many also
indicated self-restraint should be extended in the case of travel. With regard to school
closures, 70% of fulltime homemakers in their 20’s to 40’s believe school closures should
end within 1 month.

Fig. 11: Suitable self-restraint period by area (by employment type)16

Fig. 12: Measures to prevent infection, and balancing economic concerns

Meanwhile, young people were found to be similarly concerned about their own
health and that of their families, dispelling the commonly held misconception that there
are major divisions in attitude between generations.
As is evident from Figure 12, young people aged 18–19 do not feel a sense ofurgency about the economy with the exception of those that are struggling financially andare at risk of having to suspend their studies. Instead, we understand that people in their30s— the majority of whom must provide financially for their families, raise children,
and are often forced to work under the threat of infection—are far more concerned about
their employment and the economic outlook. In other words, when it comes to the issueof self-restraint in relation to COVID-19, our survey shows that attitudes reflect
differences by employment type rather than a generational divide.

17

3-4. Support for the government’s response
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese government has declareda state of emergency, and the resulting self-restraint measures have hurt various economic
sectors and household incomes. The government has prepared a supplementary budget tofinance a range of economic stimulus measures, including subsidies to sustain businesses,
an emergency micro-loan program, and one-time relief payments. How have these
initiatives been received by the general public?
With regard to the government’s initial plan to issue ¥300,000 in cash handouts
to low-income households, only 32% of respondents indicated they supported themeasure, while 57% said they did not support it. In contrast, 71% of respondents
supported the revised government plan to make a one-time ¥100,000 relief payment to all
Japanese citizens. In other words, the initially proposed approach of offering support tocitizens as a function of their degree of financial struggle does not appear to have gained
the support of the general public. While this is of course a byproduct of the fact that over
one-third of all households have suffered a drop in income, it nonetheless highlights thedifficulty in gaining broad support for a program that mainly provides assistance to lowincome families.
On the other hand, 65% of respondents supported subsidies to sustain businesses,
which mainly target small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and self-employedworkers who have seen their monthly income drop by half or more from the previous year.
This suggests the government’s intention of supporting SMEs, freelancers, and selfemployed workers who are struggling due to suspended operations or self-restraint insales activities, is properly resonating with the general public.

18

Fig. 13: Support for individual economic stimulus measures

The ¥100,000 payment is only issued to people who apply for it. 93% of
respondents indicated they will apply for it, and only 1.9% said they will not. As for how
the ¥100,000 will be used, 47% of respondents said they will allocate the funds towardliving expenses, which is evidence that people are already struggling to pay their bills. Of
the remaining respondents (just over half), 20% were sufficiently well-off not to have to
use any of the funds for living expenses, and 32% indicated they would partially allocate
the funds toward living expenses.
When asked if they would consider donating the funds, 22% said they wereconsidering a donation, and 3% replied they would feel comfortable donating (or had
already donated) the entire ¥100,000 or a larger amount.
However, the majority of respondents were unsure which organization to support.
The survey found that well-known organizations and organizations promoted on
television still have the strongest pull for donations. On the other hand, we learned thatsome respondents also use the internet, social media, or their private networks to select19

an organization to support. Accordingly, we can infer that the COVID-19 pandemic has
started to foster a spirit of mutual support.

Fig. 14: Usage of one-time relief payments and interest in donations

Fig. 15: Collection of information to decide on donation recipient
20

When asked to provide their top two potential donation recipients, 19% of
respondents said they were considering donating to a medical cause (hospital, healthcare
workers, medical supplies, etc.). This was the top response, followed by welfare facilities
such as elderly homes and facilities for people with disabilities, which are most vulnerable
to COVID-19, and restaurants or bars. These results imply that public awareness about
the adverse effects of self-restraint policies on cultural and retail establishments is notnecessarily high, and illustrate there is need for a concerted support campaign led byinitiatives by affected industries and shopping districts to raise such awareness.

Fig. 16: Potential donation recipients and consideration of donation based on tax
incentives

When asked if tax incentives for donations similar to “the hometown tax scheme”
would affect their intention to donate, an additional 30% of respondents said they would
consider a donation under such a scenario, while 10% said they would consider raising
the amount of their donation. Meanwhile, almost one quarter of respondents said they21

were hesitant to donate under such a scenario because they were not familiar with tax
exemptions for donations.
Japan does not have a sufficiently established culture of making charitable
contributions, so it needs to develop more creative programs or initiatives resembling thefirmly established the hometown tax scheme to support struggling industries.

Fig. 17: Performance rating for the government's response to COVID-19 crisis

The government’s overall response to the COVID-19 crisis has been fiercely
criticized from the start, and our survey similarly showed that only 31% of respondents
gave a positive performance rating to the government’s response. Meanwhile, 62% of
respondents said they did not give positive performance rating to the government’s
response. Health concerns were the primary reason for nearly 90% of respondents in thisgroup, but many people also cited financial predicaments as a major reason.
Meanwhile, neither the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP: the ruling party) nor theConstitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP: the largest opposition party) have seena rise in support in connection with the response to the COVID-19 crisis, which showsthat concerns transcend party boundaries. This is not surprising as (1) strong supportersof the LDP or any other party are generally people who have a certain degree of financial
leeway, and (2) people working in employment types that are most vulnerable to the22pressures of self-restraint measures and people who struggle to make ends meet have nopolitical affiliation. As a result, their voices are unlikely to have an impact on the politicallandscape.

Fig. 18: Concerns over employment and performance rating for major political parties

Figure 18 shows the performance ratings for political parties by level of
employment concern. Although people who are deeply concerned about employment
typically do not exhibit strong support for the LDP (ruling party), there has not been amajor increase in voices that do not support the LDP. That said, it is also inaccurate toassume people with strong concerns over employment therefore give a positive
performance rating the CDP (the largest opposition party).
While support for political parties tends to be clear-cut among people withstable incomes and the elderly, concern over employment does not necessarily result inan upswell of support for a particular party; however, just because the people’s voices
are unlikely to affect the political status quo, that does not mean the government canafford to take no action. The longer the self-restraint period persists under a state of23

emergency, the more concerns over employment will grow. While much of the media
attention has focused on the extremely high levels of concern over health among theJapanese public, economic concerns, which are reflected in concerns about employment
and bankruptcy, are an area where government initiatives are urgently needed.

24

4. List of survey responses
In the following table, the responses to S1 - S3 and Q2 - Q6 have not been adjusted according to the
population for each age group, but the responses to Q7 - Q35 have.
S1: What is your gender? (Select only one)
Male

51.0%

Female49.0%

S2: What is your age? (Select only one)18 – 19 years

212

20 – 29 years

312

30 – 39 years

320

40 – 49 years

323

50 – 59 years

325

60 – 69 years

315

70 years and

291

above
(* Respondents were asked to indicate their actual age, nottheir age group.)
S3: Which prefecture do you live in? (Select only one)
Hokkaido

8.0% Mie

1.3%

Aomori

1.2% Shiga

1.1%

Iwate

1.3% Kyoto

1.9%

Miyagi

3.1% Osaka

7.1%

Akita

1.0% Hyogo

4.6%

Yamagata

1.0% Nara

1.0%

Fukushima

1.1% Wakayama

0.6%

Ibaraki

0.7% Tottori

0.8%

Tochigi

0.4% Shimane

0.9%

Gunma

0.4% Okayama

2.9%

Saitama

2.2% Hiroshima

4.6%

Chiba

2.5% Yamaguchi

2.1%

Tokyo

6.8% Tokushima

1.1%

25

Kanagawa

3.6% Kagawa

1.9%

Niigata

1.7% Ehime

1.7%

Toyama

1.0% Kochi

0.7%

Ishikawa

0.7% Fukuoka

8.5%

Fukui

0.3% Saga

0.9%

Yamanashi

0.4% Nagasaki

1.2%

Nagano1.0% Kumamoto

2.0%

Gifu

1.9% Oita

0.9%

Shizuoka

2.3% Miyazaki

0.8%

Aichi

6.1% Kagoshima

1.6%

Okinawa

1.1%

Q2: What is the highest level of education you have completed?
(Select only one)
Junior high school

2.3%

High school

37.3%

Junior college or technical

20.2%

junior college
Four-year university

35.0%

Graduate school

4.6%

Other (dropped out of

0.6%

university, etc.)
Q3: Please choose the response that applies to you regarding yourcurrent employment. (Select only one)
Permanent employee

39.7%

Contract employee

3.2%

Temporary employee

1.8%Part-time or casual worker

13.3%

Full-time homemaker

11.2%

Pensioner

4.6%

Student

10.8%

Other (Please specify)

5.9%

Unemployed

9.5%

26

Q4: Please choose the response that applies to you regarding yourpersonal annual income.
(Select only one)
1 million yen or less

30.8%

1.01 – 3 million yen

29.0%

3.01 – 5 million yen

20.9%

5.01 – 7 million yen

10.7%

7.01 – 10 million yen

6.0%

10.01 million yen or

2.7%

more
Q5: Please choose the response that applies to you regarding yourhousehold’s annual income. (Select only one)
1 million yen or less

6.1%

1.01 – 3 million yen

16.8%

3.01 – 5 million yen

27.2%

5.01 – 7 million yen

21.5%

7.01 – 10 million yen

17.0%

10.01 – 15 million yen

8.0%

15.01 million yen or

3.4%

more

Q6: Please choose the responses that apply to you regarding your daily media consumption.
(Select one for each item)
Online content
TelevisionRadio

Newspapers Magazines (excluding personal
blogs)

I use it everyday.
I use it almost
every day.

Personal
blogs

71.8%

8.4%

28.6%

1.8%

50.1%

7.1%

14.0%

7.7%

8.9%

2.5%

23.6%

7.1%

4.1%

10.5%

6.9%

11.4%

9.6%

10.4%

I use itregularly but
not every day.
27

I use it tosome degree
but not

2.8%

11.8%

6.4%

20.6%

6.5%

14.0%

3.0%

22.4%

13.9%

34.4%

4.4%

21.1%

4.3%

39.2%

35.4%

29.2%

5.8%

40.3%

regularly.
I almost neveruse it.
I never use it.

―――――― *The following responses are age-corrected. ――――――
Q7: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your personal income?
(Select only one)
It increased significantly

1.7%

It increased somewhat

2.5%

No change

67.7%

It decreased somewhat

17.5%

It decreased significantly

10.6%

Q8: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your household’s income? (Select only one)
It increased significantly

1.6%

It increased somewhat

2.0%

No change

60.4%

It decreased somewhat

25.8%

It decreased significantly

10.3%

Q9: Please choose the response that applies to you the most regarding the outlook for yourhousehold’s annual income. (Select only one)
I think it will increase significantly.

0.7%

I think it will increase slightly.

3.3%

I don't think it will change

40.0%

I think it will decrease slightly.

35.6%

I think it will decrease significantly.

16.7%

Don't know

3.6%

Q10: Please choose the response that applies to you the most regarding your concern about
the effects of COVID-19 on your health. (Select only one)28

Very concerned

42.2%

Somewhat concerned

44.6%

Not very concerned

9.7%

Not concerned at all

1.7%

Neutral / I don’t know

1.9%

Q11: Please choose the response that applies to you the most regarding your concern about
the effects of COVID-19 on your family’s health. (Select only one)
Very concerned

49.7%

Somewhat concerned

39.0%

Not very concerned

7.2%

Not concerned at all

1.1%

Neutral / I don’t know

3.0%

Q12: Are you concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your employment?
(Select only one)
Very concerned

13.7%

Somewhat concerned

18.8%

Not very concerned

21.1%

Not concerned at all

11.5%

Not working

31.3%

Neutral / I don’t know

3.7%

Q13: How has your work style changed? (Select only one)
No change

34.8%

I am working from home and have reduced the frequency of office visits

20.7%

I am on temporary leave

11.5%

I lost my job

1.8%

I was not working before

31.2%

Q14: How has your salary or other remuneration changed? (Select only one)
No change

47.3%

It decreased somewhat

11.4%

It decreased significantly

7.3%

I am not being paid / I am unemployed

4.7%

I was not working before

29.3%
29

Q15: Please choose the response that applies to you the most regarding your lifestyle(Select only one)
I am struggling severely

10.2%

I am struggling somewhat

34.4%

I am not struggling much

33.9%

I am not struggling at all

11.9%

Neutral / I don’t know

9.5%

Q16: How much longer do you think you can tolerate the current self-restraint measures
under the state of emergency declaration? (Select only one)
Until May 6

12.1%

One more month

32.8%

Three more months

19.8%

Six more months

8.1%

One more year

3.2%

As long as necessary

24.0%

Q17: Most elementary, junior high, and high schools are currently closed. How much longer
do you think they should remain closed? (Select only one)
Until May 6

13.9%

One more month

39.9%

Three more months

21.1%

Six more months

5.2%

One more year

1.6%

As long as necessary

18.3%

Q18: Restaurants have been asked to operate on shortened hours between 5:00 and 20:00 or
to temporarily close. How much longer do you think they should continue adhering to thisrequest for restraint? (Select only one)
Until May 6

14.3%

One more month

36.8%

Three more months

20.5%

Six more months

7.4%

One more year

1.4%

As long as necessary

19.6%
30

Q19: Aside from some shops including supermarkets and home centers, other commercial
facilities have been requested to restrain their business activities? How much longer do you
think they should continue adhering to this request for restraint? (Select only one)
Until May 6

16.5%

One more month

38.2%

Three more months

19.9%

Six more months

5.5%

One more year

1.6%

As long as necessary

18.3%

Q20: People have been requested to refrain from travel? How much longer do you think theyshould continue adhering to this request for restraint? (Select only one)
Until May 6

6.9%

One more month

21.1%

Three more months

26.6%

Six more months

15.3%

One more year

5.7%

As long as necessary

24.4%

Q21: What level of economic impact do you feel is acceptable to reduce the number of people
dying from COVID-19? Select the answer that best reflects your feelings. (Select only one)
Even a severe impact on the economy is acceptable to save as many lives

13.3%

as possible.
Some degree of impact on the economy is acceptable to reduce the

43.6%

number of victims
Efforts to reduce the number of victims should be balanced with the

30.8%

severity of the economic impact
Self-restraint should be avoided as the economic impact will affect the

3.4%

fate of many people
Neutral / I don’t know

8.9%

Q22: The request for self-restraint due to COVID-19 is expected to cause the unemployment
rate to rise. Select the answer that best reflects your feelings. (Select only one)
Even if I lose my job, maximum self-restraint should be exercised

20.2%

Maximum self-restraint should be exercised because it is not very likely

27.8%

31

that I will lose my job
If I am going to lose my job the self-restraint request should be ended

10.5%

I oppose the self-restraint request because increasing unemployment

6.4%

any more is not acceptable
Neutral / I don’t know

35.1%

Q23: The government initially planned to provide a ¥300,000 cash handout to low-income
households that suffered a loss of income. How do you rate the government’s performance on
this issue? (Select only one)
Very high8.2%

Somewhat high24.2%

Somewhat low

30.0%

Very low

26.7%

Neutral / I don’t know

10.9%

Q24: Now the government plans to provide a ¥100,000 cash handout to every resident. How
do you rate the government’s performance on this issue? (Select only one)
Very high21.3%

Somewhat high49.6%

Somewhat low

16.2%

Very low

6.1%

Neutral / I don’t know

6.9%

Q25: Which policy do you prefer: the ¥300,000 cash handout for low-income households orthe ¥100,000 cash handout for every resident? (Select only one)¥300,000 cash handout for low-income households

12.0%¥100,000 cash handout for every resident

57.2%

I like them both equally

13.0%

I like neither

7.8%

Neutral / I don’t know

10.0%

Q26: A simple application is required to receive the ¥100,000 cash handout. Do you plan to
apply? (Select only one)
Definitely

69.7%

Probably

23.9%

Probably not

1.3%
32

Definitely not

0.6%

Neutral / I don’t know

4.5%

Q27: How do you plan to use the ¥100,000 cash handout? (Select only one)
I will spend it all on living expenses

47.1%

I will spend 70 - 90% on living expenses

9.0%

I will spend 50 - 70% on living expenses

9.9%

I will spend 30 - 50% on living expenses

7.6%

I will spend 10 - 30% on living expenses

5.9%

I will spend none on living expenses (use it for something else or save it

19.9%

all)
Q28: If you receive the ¥100,000 cash handout, how much would you be willing to donate toyour preferred cause? (Select only one)
I don’t plan to donate any

22.3%

I would donate 10 - 30%

12.4%

I would donate 30 - 50%

4.1%

I would donate 50 - 70%

1.8%

I would donate 70 - 90%

0.5%

I would donate all ¥100,000

2.3%

I am already donating / plan to donate more

0.7%

I don't know

8.4%

Q29: If you decide to donate your cash handout, how will you gather information to decideon the recipient? Please choose the response that applies to you the most. (Select only one)
I will donate to a well-known organization that I already know

4.8%

I will decide after gathering information from television, newspapers,

6.0%

and other media outlets.
I will decide after gathering information from the internet and social

5.2%

media.
I will decide based on information from personal acquaintances and5.1%

local ties.
I am unclear on how to choose a recipient.

8.1%

Other

0.9%

Q30: What kind of organizations would you like to support with your donation? Select your33

top one or two choices. (Up to two)
Arts (e.g., theaters, performers)

2.5%

Eating and drinking establishments (e.g., restaurants, cafes, pubs)

5.9%

Retailers (e.g., book stores, variety stores, family-run shops)

2.3%

Medical (e.g., hospitals, medical practitioners, medical supplies)

19.4%

Social services (e.g., nursery schools, facilities for the disabled, facilities

10.6%

for the elderly)
Consultation centers for poverty, abuse, etc.

4.1%

Local governments

2.2%

Foreign institutions

0.2%

Other

1.4%

Q31: Would you donate to COVID-19 relief efforts if you could receive a tax deduction for alarge portion of your donation like the hometown tax scheme? (Select only one)
I am willing to add to the amount I was thinking about donating

9.5%

I will donate the same amount I was thinking about donating

14.0%

I did not intend to donate, but now I might

29.6%

I still do not want to donate because it would cost me money

20.7%

I will not donate because I am not familiar with how the tax deduction

22.9%

works
Other

3.3%

Q32: The government is planning to provide up to ¥1 million to self-employed workers andfreelancers and up to ¥2 million to small and medium-sized enterprises whose sales have fallen
by half or more compared to the same month last year. How do you rate the government’s
performance on this issue? (Select only one)
Very high16.2%

Somewhat high49.0%

Somewhat low

16.2%

Very low

5.6%

Neutral / I don’t know

13.0%

Q33: The government is offering individuals emergency interest-free small loans of ¥100,000
or up to ¥200,000 if you meet certain conditions. Would you consider applying for one of theseloans instead of using a commercial loan? (Select only one)
Definitely

3.1%
34

Maybe8.3%

Probably not

40.2%

Definitely not

32.6%

Neutral / I don’t know

15.9%

Q34: When do you think the government should lift the state of emergency? (Select only one)
It should be lifted once on May 6

11.3%

It should be extended one more month

45.6%

It should be extended three more months

16.5%

It should be extended six more month

6.0%

It should be extended one more year

3.5%

Neutral / I don’t know

17.1%

Q35: If the self-restraint measures continue beyond May 6, what kind of economic measures
do you think the government should enact? (Select only one)
It is impossible to enact any more economic measures, so self-restraint

4.5%

measures should be stopped.
The current economic measures are adequate even if self-restraint

13.5%

measures are prolonged.
More economic measures should be enacted even if it means increasing

46.5%

the national debt somewhat.
More economic measures should be enacted regardless of the country’s

19.6%

fiscal situation.
Neutral / I don’t know

16.0%

Q36: Please choose the response that best reflects your performance rating of the Abeadministration’s COVID-19 response. (Select only one)
Very high

4.5%

Somewhat high26.9%

Somewhat low

33.6%

Very low

28.0%

Neutral / I don’t know

7.0%

35

Q37: This is a question about Japanese political parties. Please choose the response that bestreflects your performance rating for each party. (Select one for each item)
Very high

High

Low

Very low

Neutral / I
don’t know

Liberal

6.7%

29.7%

24.5%

21.2%

18.0%

1.2%

14.2%

27.8%

30.0%

26.8%

Komeito

3.8%

24.1%

25.8%

22.1%

24.1%

Japan

7.3%

25.4%

23.0%

16.9%

27.4%

2.4%

10.9%

23.9%

33.0%

29.8%

0.9%

8.0%

26.8%

32.4%

32.0%

1.9%

7.1%

18.2%

39.8%

33.0%

0.7%

5.9%

21.4%

38.8%

33.1%

1.0%

3.6%

14.0%

52.7%

28.7%

Democratic
Party
Constitutional
Democratic
Party

Innovation
Party
Japanese
Communist
Party
Democratic
Party for the
PeopleReiwa
Shinsengumi
SocialDemocratic
Party
The Party toProtect thePeople fromNHK

36

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3738