NIRA RESEARCH REPORT
April 2023

First Survey of Attitudes Toward
Politics, Economy, and Society(NIRA Basic Survey) (Preliminary Report)
Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

The Nippon Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) has
conducted the “First Survey of Attitudes Toward Politics, Economy, andSociety (NIRA Basic Survey).” The purpose of this survey is to conduct“fixed-point observation” of people's attitudes in relation to politics, theeconomy, and society.
The survey was conducted online from March 16, 2023 (Thursday) toMarch 20, 2023 (Monday). A total of 2,000 responses were collected, of which
1,805 were valid responses (from respondents who successfully completed
the trap questions) (Note 1). The following preliminary results are based
only on data from respondents who completed the trap questions, and areweight-corrected aggregate results, with the population aged 18 years andolder given in the Population Census (2020) considered as the statistical
population (Note 2).

Note 1: A trap question is a question designed to detect respondents who respond without
carefully reading the question text. In this survey, “Please choose “4. Tend to disagree” for thisitem” was prepared as a trap question, and the further responses of those who chose thisresponse for this question were considered valid.
Note 2: For more detail regarding the formulation of weights, see “II. Chousa gaiyou [Overviewof the Survey]” (in Japanese). The ratios (%) in the figures and tables in the text are rounded to
the first decimal place, and the total of the breakdown therefore may not equal 100%. In
addition, figures may not match those in the text.
1
Copyright Ⓒ 2023 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation
presented here. Translated by Michael Faul.

NIRA RESEARCH REPORTApril 2023

Key Points⚫

More than 70% of respondents indicated that they trust their “Family,” “The Japan
Self-Defense Forces,” “The courts,” “The police,” and their “Municipal authorities,”while more than 60% do not trust “The Diet,” “The government,” “SNS (Twitter,Instagram, etc.),” and “Internet media (news apps, websites, blogs, etc.).

⚫

While less than 50% of respondents agreed with the statement “I am interested inpolitics,” more than 70% agreed with the statements “Current political parties arefocused on vested interests; I would like to see leaders who more directly represent
the will of the people” and “Most politicians are concerned with the interests of thewealthy and powerful.”⚫

Many respondents were pessimistic about the outlook for Japan's economic
situation, with 80% or more answering “Bleak” or “Somewhat bleak” for both thenear future (1-2 years) and the more distant future (5-10 years).

⚫

Many respondents cited “Soaring food and energy prices,” “Hardship due to slow
economic growth,” “Natural disasters and epidemics,” “Armed conflict inneighboring countries,” and “Inability to receive government services due to aworsening economic situation” as concerns for the future of society, both in the near
future and the medium- to long-term future.

⚫

The highest percentage of respondents indicated that they had no time for study,
self-development, or training in the most recent “normal week,” suggesting thatmany people are unable to invest time in self-improvement. The results also showedthat teleworkers were more likely to be able to secure time for self-improvement.

⚫

The percentage of respondents who thought that government bond issuance should
be curbed exceeded the percentage of those who thought that there is no need toworry about Japan’s budget deficit. More than 60% of respondents thought that thetax rate for high-income earners should be raised when income taxes are raised.

⚫

The percentage of those who answered that they “Would prefer to change jobs if
given the chance” greatly exceeded the percentage of those who answered that they“Would prefer to stay with the same company for a long time”. This tendency wasparticularly evident among younger respondents.

⚫

When asked about their willingness to bear the additional burden of improving thelevel of public services, 64% of respondents indicated that they would be willing to2

Copyright Ⓒ 2023 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation
presented here. Translated by Michael Faul.

NIRA RESEARCH REPORTApril 2023

pay extra. The most common items to which respondents responded positively were
“Medical services,” “Support during emergencies and disasters,” “Childcaresupport,” and the “Pension system.” On the other hand, “Defense” and “Livelihoodsupport” received few positive responses, and “Employment support” received thelowest response.
⚫

Respondents indicated that the expense that could be reduced most significantly byeliminating waste while maintaining the current level of services was “Expenses
for administrative personnel.” In addition, the greatest number of respondents
thought that all expenses were wasteful by 10-20%.

3Copyright Ⓒ 2023 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation
presented here. Translated by Michael Faul.