Public Awareness and Social Impact of Novel Coronavirus
in Japan-COVID-19 (Beat! Coronavirus) Project Research Report

September 2020.
Kenichi Ishii, Ph.D.
Bunkyo University*.

COVID-19 (Beat! COVID-19) Project is a non-profit academic project in which theauthor was provided the research and analysis assets owned by Rakuten Insight
Corporation. I am pleased to report the results of a survey conducted on the monitorsof the Rakuten Insite Corporation. I would like to thank Rakuten Insight, Inc. forproviding us with the opportunity to conduct this survey. This report is translated
from the previous Japanese report (Ishii, 2020b) after making some revisions andcorrections.
* Contact: ishiiken at bunkyo.ac.jp; Faculty of Information and Communication,
Bunkyo University, 1100, Namegata, Chigasaki, Kanagawa 253-8550, Japan

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

2summary
The novel coronaviruses have had a significant impact on Japanesesociety. Because the novel coronaviruses can be infected even fromasymptomatic infected people, a different approach from that used in theconventional strategies in infectious diseases is needed. Thus, enhancing
people’s attention to individual risks is not enough to reduce the number of
infected people in a society. Given the unique characteristic of the novel
coronavirus, this study attempts to examine factors reducing the spread ofnovel coronaviruses. To this end, we conducted a nationwide survey of adultmales and females (aged 18-79 years) in June 2020 to assess people's
countermeasure behaviors against novel coronaviruses (N=1000). The
questionnaire covered items such as problems with telecommuting,including perceptions of personal and social risks, self-restraint during thedeclaration of a state of emergency, media use, and online meetings.
Keywords: novel coronavirus, state of emergency declaration, Japan,
countermeasure action, social risks, media use, telecommuting, online
meetings

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AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

3

Public Awareness of Novel Coronavirus and Social Impact in Japan
1. Background
The first case of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in
Wuhan, China, in November 2019, while the first cases were reported inJapan in January 2020, followed by an increase in the number of cases
worldwide. Due to the expansion of the epidemic in Japan in February, thegovernment called for large-scale events and rallies, as well as the
temporary closure of elementary and junior high schools across the country.
As of August 27, 10,460 people have been infected (with a cumulative totalof 65,765) with 1,240 deaths. Travel and outings have been greatly reduced
in order to avoid infections, and foreign visitors have been unable to cometo Japan, which has had a significant impact on the tourism, hotels,
restaurants, and department store industries. In Japan, there were no
mandatory city lockdowns; rather, people basically followed voluntary "selfrestraint" to control the spread of the disease. For example, bars andtaverns that "refrain" from operating were paid compensation, but they
were not forcibly banned from operating their stores (as of August 2020).
In order to reduce the number of people infected in these situations,human contact should be reduced as much as possible (Ishii, 2020a). In
order to achieve this goal, research from a behavioral science perspective isneeded to understand how people's behavior can be changed. However,
although there are some studies on behavioral responses to infectious
diseases such as H1N1 influenza and SARS (Nakataniuchi 2009; Oikawa andOikawa 2010; Guo, Zhang, and Shen 2006), these infections and the novel
coronaviruses have quite different transmission patterns; in the case of
SARS and MERS, asymptomatic or mildly infected people were not likely tomove around and spread the disease unlike the case of the novel
coronavirus (Nihon Keizai Shimbun, April 17, 2020). On the other hand, inthe case of novel coronavirus, asymptomatic or mildly infected people who
account for about 80% of all cases can infect other people (Nihon Keizai
Shimbun, April 17, 2020).
As reported, few young people in Japan are seriously ill, which means thatthe personal risk of contracting the novel coronavirus is low for young
people. However, if the infection spreads even among people with a low risk
3

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

4of infection, the epidemic will spread through secondary infections and willcause the negative impact on society as a whole, including the economy andmedical system. In other words, unlike conventional infectious diseases anddisasters, the risks of novel coronaviruses are not parallel for individuals andfor society. This is a situation of what is known in social psychology as the"social dilemma" (Yamagishi 1990). In other words, the individual's personal
optimal behavior does not necessarily lead to the optimal situation for thesociety. Many of the measures emphasized in conventional disaster actions(e.g., earthquakes and fires) have been to make people accurately aware of
their individual risks, but awareness of individual risks is not enough tocontrol a pandemic of a novel coronavirus.
To answer these problems, this report will analyze how people are taking
countermeasure actions based on survey data. Assessing peopleʼs behavioral
patterns against the novel coronavirus on people's lives will be important inorder to take steps about how to deal with the second wave that may comein the future.
2. Research Objectives
Based on these issues, the following research objectives were set for thisstudy.
1. Who take (or don't take) countermeasure actions? What factors
account for taking countermeasure actions?
2. How does the novel coronavirus affect people's lives?
3. What are the problems with telecommuting? How were online
conferencing systems used in telecommuting under the declared stateof emergency in April?
To achieve these research objectives, an online survey of 1,000 people
was conducted.
3. Method
1,000 online monitors were requested to respond to the survey using
Rakuten Insight Corporation's Internet survey system. The survey was
conducted on June 12-14, 2020, and targeted men and women between theages of 18 and 80. The entire country was divided into 13 blocks (Hokkaido,
Tohoku, Kita-Kanto, Tokyo metropolitan area, Koshinetsu, Hokuriku, Tokai,
4

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

5

Kinki, Keihanshin, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa), and thenumber of respondents was allocated proportional to the population
distribution of age and gender in the teenage increments in each block.
Thus, the results of the survey are, to some extent, representative of thegeneral Japanese population.
The respondents were 499 males (49.9%) and 501 females (50.1%), witha mean age of 48.95 years (standard deviation 16.83), 63.7% married and58.4% with children. The median household income was 5.01 million yen.
With regard to occupation, 40.8% were full-time workers, 13.0% were parttime workers, 13.0% were part-time workers, 16.7% were housewives(husbands), 12.2% were unemployed, and 6.0% were students.
The questionnaire consisted of the following questions: Q1 asked about
lifestyle, Q2 asked about awareness of various discourses and information
about novel coronaviruses, including rumors, Q3 asked about awareness ofnovel coronaviruses, Q4 asked about various countermeasure actions, Q5
asked about the need to prevent the spread of the virus Q6-10 asked about
working under a declared state of emergency, including telecommuting, Q11
asked about media use behavior, Q12 asked about intention to participate in
future infection prevention, and Q13 asked about economic awareness ofthe current situation. Questions such as Q6 to Q10 were translated andadapted from "Coronavirus Survey for WIP Partners April 14, 2020" (USC
Annenberg Center for the Digital Future (CDF) and Interactive Advertising
Bureau (IAB) ,2020a).
4. resultsFrequency tables (distribution of responses) are included in the appendix. In
this section, we will briefly introduce the results for each item.
4.1 People's perception of the novel coronavirus
The novel coronavirus is a new infectious disease, and various information
or misinformation was circulated in the media that may or may notnecessarily be correct; Q2 asked about the perception of correctness ofseveral statements about the novel coronavirus.
The results show that more than 70% of people believed that they werecorrect: "You can get infected even if you wear a normal mask," "You shouldwash your hands to prevent infection," "You should provide good ventilation
5

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

6

where there is a chance of infection," "Some people get infected
asymptomatically" "From elevator buttons and stair rails, you can get
infected. On the other hand, only less than 20% are likely to believe otheritems such as "Japanese people are less likely to be infected," "Children
under 15 years of age do not become seriously ill," "Natto (fermented
soybeans) is effective in preventing infection," "The susceptibility to infection
differs according to blood type," and "People who are habitual cigarettesmokers are less likely to be infected", although these have been pointed out
by the media as having a scientific basis.
4.2 Awareness of the novel coronavirus
These items (Q3) asked about perceptions of personal and social risks
posed by the novel coronaviruses, attitudes toward the problem, and future
behavioral intentions. Of these, more than 80% (the ratio of respondents
who answered "strongly agree" and "agree") agreed with “an outbreak of anovel coronavirus would worsen the Japanese economy”, “another increasein the number of infected people would worsen the Japanese economy”, and“the Japanese people should unite to help prevent infection”; these three
items are most likely to be affected by the social and social risks of the novel
coronavirus. The items show the respondents' perception of the risk ofinfection. This was followed by "I watch the news about the novel
coronavirus with great interest," "Reducing the number of infected people isimportant for Japan today," and "I always think about the correctness ofvarious information," with more than 70% of agreement. Among theremaining items, those with an agreement rate of less than 50% were: "Ibelieve that human power is powerless in the face of the threat of the virus"(49.8%), "The novel coronavirus is not a dangerous disease if it is managed
properly" (34.1%), "I am worried about the novel coronavirus because it isunlikely to cause serious illnesses even if you are exposed to it. Not yet"(10.5%). The last two items were asked about individual risk, which meansthat many people were actually aware of the individual risk. In other words,
it can be said that both the social and individual risks of the novel
coronaviruses were very well recognized.
4.3 Countermeasure actions against the novel coronavirus
The status of implementation of countermeasures against the novel
coronavirus was investigated by choosing activities that could be taken
6

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

7

personally against the novel coronavirus (Q4). The most common
countermeasures were: "Wear a mask when going out" (85.9%), "Washhands well" (82.8%), "Avoid going to crowded places" (82.1%), "Disinfecthands with disinfectant" (69.1%), and "Keep a safe distance from othercustomers when standing in line in a store" ( 68.1%), "stop meeting formeals and other meetings" (64.7%), "don't take the train or bus" (61.0%),
and "try not to meet with friends" (56.5%), which had an action rate of over50%.
4.4 Implementation rate of self-restraint behavior
As for the declaration of a state of emergency by the government in 2020
April, respondents were requested to refrain from going out to reduce
interpersonal contacts; Q5 asked how much and how often they had
reduced the frequency of some specific outgoing behaviors. Here, we gave
hypothetical values of 0% for "not reduced at all," 10% for "slightly
reduced," 30% for "reduced to some extent," 50% for "significantly
reduced," and 100% for "stopped altogether," and asked for the percentageof people who refrained from these behaviors, excluding those who "never
did in the first place," to determine the percentage of these behaviors thatwere refrained from.
As shown in Table 1, the most common form of self-restraint was"drinking at a bar" (84.6%). This is followed by "eating at a restaurant orcafeteria," "going out," "seeing friends," "riding the train or bus" , and“refraining from drinking alcohol.” with more than 60% of responses On theother hand, going to work (24.2%) and going to the store to do some
shopping (34.4%) did not decrease significantly.
Table 1: Percentage of "self-restraint
Selfrestraint
rate (%)
1.Take a train or bus.

61.3

2. meet with friends

68.1

3. go play.

69.8

4. go to work.

24.2
7

8

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

5. eating at a restaurant or

70.4

diner
6. drinking with others in a bar

84.6

7. go to the store and shop.

34.4

4.5 Work patterns during the declaration of a state of emergency
Working from home or working shorter hours was recommended during
the declaration of a state of emergency. In order to determine the extent towhich this request was realized, Q7 asked about work patterns during thedeclaration of the state of emergency. The results for those who were
working during the declaration of a state of emergency show that the mostcommon response was "Working at the office during the usual hours"(50.7%). Looking at the other responses, shortened hours at work (11.7%),
working from home (7.6%), partially working from home (21.8%), andcompletely working from home (8.0%).
Of those who worked from home, 53.1% used online meetings (video or
audio conferencing). However, those who used online meetings at homeduring the declaration of a state of emergency were more likely to haveused online meetings before. Specifically, of the 93 people who used online
conferencing during the declaration of the emergency, 57 (61.2%) had used
it before the declaration of the emergency and only 36 (38.7%) were new toonline conferencing at the time of the declaration of the emergency.
Table 2: Use of online meetings while working from home (number ofpeople)During the declaration of astate of emergency.
Before thedeclaration of astate of emergency

I used.

I have not

Total number

used.

of responses

Experience

57

5

62

No experience

36

77

113

Total number

93

82

175

of people
8

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

9

The efficiency of telecommuting was not rated very high. 26.9% of users
rated their work as more efficient than their normal work, while 51.4% of
respondents said it was not as efficient as their normal work.
Many telecommuting users chose the following as problems with
telecommuting: "Difficulty in separating private life and work while working
from home" (64%), "Sometimes difficult to communicate with each otherdue to work-related interactions" (60%), "Distractions (taking care of family
and pets, housework, noise, etc.)" (53.7%), "Difficulty with home and The
distinction between work and work is blurred" (52.5%) and "online meetings
are tiring" (44%). Compared to these, relatively few respondents said “theycould not protect their privacy (36.5%)” and ” they had to take care of theirchildren while working (21.1%)”.
4.6 Intention to use countermeasure actions
An app (COCOA) is now being offered to allow people to conduct antibody
tests and check their contact with infected people. The respondents wereasked about their willingness to use the tools for countermeasures, such as
vaccines and various tests, if they were provided by the government (Q12).
When the total of "would use for a fee," "would use for a fee," and "would
use for free," was calculated as a positive response for each tool, items withintention rate over 70%were "vaccination to prevent the novel coronavirus"(85.0%), "antibody test for the novel coronavirus" (80.8%), and "PCR
testing for novel coronaviruses" (77.2%). In contrast, a slightly lower
percentage (65.6%) of respondents had intention to use a smartphone appthat allowed them to check contact with infected persons (at the time of thesurvey, the app was not yet available).
4.7 Current economic situation
Finally, respondents were asked about their current financial situation. The
results were as follows: "very comfortable" (5.9%), "comfortable" (30.2%)," getting away with it " (49.8%), " find life difficult " (8.9%), and " find life
very difficult " (5.2%).

9

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

10

References
Guo Zhongshi, Zhang Rongxian, Shen Fei (2006) Depth of Reasoning andInformation Processing: A Predictive Model of SARS Behavior ChinaMedia Report No. 1, 2006
Kenichi Ishii (2020a) People's countermeasure behavior against novel
coronaviruses - from the results of a questionnaire survey,
http://open.shonan.bunkyo.ac.jp/~k_ishii/SARSCoV2.pdf
Kenichi Ishii (2020b) Countermeasure actions and awareness of the novel
coronavirus: COVID-19 (Beat! Coronavirus) Project First Report. (inJapanese).
http://open.shonan.bunkyo.ac.jp/~k_ishii/BeatCovid19_20200630.pd
fNakataniuchi, K. (2009) Can Risk Theory Explain Individual Countermeasure
Behaviors: Reasons for Wearing Masks during the Spread of New
Influenza, Oral Presentation S28-04, pp.340-341.
Oikawa, H. and Oikawa, M. (2010) Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral
changes in crisis situations: responses to the H1N1 flu, PsychologicalResearch, 81, no. 420-425.
Toshio Yamagishi(1990) How Social Dilemmas Work, Science Publication Co.
(in Japanese)
USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future (CDF) and Interactive
Advertising Bureau (IAB) (2020a) Coronavirus Survey for WIP
Partners April 14, 2020, unpublished document.
USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future (CDF) and Interactive
Advertising Bureau (IAB) (2020b) The Coronavirus Disruption Project
How we are living and coping with the pandemic, WIP May 4, 2020,
unpublished document.
"Help us reduce human contact by 70-80%", Health, Labour and Welfare
Minister, NHK News (special website for novel coronaviruses), April 17,
2020: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/ tokyo/.
"Three Challenges to Restoring New Coronas Raging Around the World,"
April 27, 2020, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, electronic edition10

Appendix: frequency tables
Q1. What do you think about the following statements? Please choose one for each of the following. Please choose
one that applies to each of the following. (N=1000)

8.9

47.5

20.4

17.2

6.0

2. I think I am happy

15.4

51.3

21.6

8.2

3.5

3. Most people can be trusted.

1.3

14.5

44.8

29.8

9.6

4. Most people, when a person trusts them, trust them in the

4.9

39.9

37.2

13.9

4.1

5. We should pay more attention to the country and society

15.8

55.3

23.2

4.2

1.5

6. I have always wanted to do something useful for society as

7.2

42.1

36.2

10.5

4.0

26.3

34.5

25.9

10.8

2.5

same waya member of society.
7. I don't want to live outside of Japan, considering the safetyof the country.

I don't think so atall.

I don't think so.

I can't say either.

I think so.

Very much so.

1. I am satisfied with my current life

12

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

12.1

28.3

40.1

14.2

5.3

9. I like Japan as a country.

24.7

50.4

20.3

3.1

1.5

10. Japan has much to learn from other countries

14.3

52.4

28.4

3.6

1.3

11. The Japanese are one of the most outstanding people in

9.9

33.5

40.4

11.8

4.4

7.1

26.4

53.8

10.0

2.7

the world
12. The Japanese people should value the interests of thenation as a whole more than the interests of individuals.

12

I don't think so atall.

I don't think so.

I can't say either.

I think so.

Very much so.

8. Japan is the best country in the world

13

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q2. Do you think the following things are true about the new coronavirus? Please choose as many as you think arecorrect. (Any number of things)
%.
Total

100.0

You can get infected even if you're wearing a regular mask.

71.7

You should wash your hands to prevent infection.

92.3

Where there is a possibility of infection, ventilation should be good

87.4

Some people get infected and don't develop the disease.

86.4

The Japanese are less likely to be infected.

7.5Children under the age of 15 are not seriously ill.

12.7

People with a smoking habit are less likely to be infected.

2.0

Natto is effective in preventing infection.

4.6

Different blood types are more susceptible to infection.

7.8

You can get it from elevator buttons and stairway handrails.

76.4

There's nothing right above

2.7

13

14

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q3. What do you think about "new coronaviruses"? Please choose one for each statement. Please choose one thatapplies to each of these questions. (N=1000)

15.8

48.8

21.6

12.0

1.8

2. The new coronavirus is not a dangerous disease if properly

5.7

28.4

35.1

23.0

7.8

3. the new coronavirus is a danger to me.

15.7

43.3

29.0

10.1

1.9

4. I'm not worried about catching the new coronavirus because

1.3

9.2

26.0

38.2

25.3

20.6

41.4

30.8

6.1

1.1

6. New coronavirus outbreak worsens Japan's economy

53.7

33.0

11.4

1.2

0.7

7. Watching news about the new coronavirus with interest

28.2

49.1

17.9

3.6

1.2

8. I am always thinking about what's right for various information 20.1

53.2

23.7

2.3

0.7

managed.

it's rarely a serious illness.
5. If the second wave comes in the future, the damage to Japan
will be even greater.

14

I don't think so atall.

I don't think so.

I can't say either.

I think so.

Very much so.

1. Fear of being infected with a new type of coronavirus

15

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

52.2

26.8

4.8

0.8

16.8

33.0

32.3

15.1

2.8

24.7

44.0

25.4

4.9

1.0

47.1

38.8

12.3

1.4

0.4

17.8

47.1

23.5

8.7

2.9

22.0

45.6

22.2

7.2

3.0

26.9

38.5

25.2

7.1

2.3

coronavirus.
10.I believe that human power is powerless in the face of thethreat of a virus
11. Another outbreak could lead to the collapse of Japanese
medical system
12. If the number of infected people increases again, theJapanese economy will suffer.
13. I'm always checking the news for the status of infected
people across the country.
14. I always check the news for the status of infected people inthe county where I currently live.
15. I'm not going to travel for a while now.
15

I don't think so atall.

I don't think so.

I can't say either.

I think so.

Very much so.
9. I have been thinking a lot about my own response to the new 15.4

16

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

21.4

45.5

24.5

6.4

2.2

17. Reducing the number of infected people is the most

33.9

42.0

18.9

3.8

1.4

37.6

45.0

14.1

2.4

0.9

important thing for Japan today
18. Japanese people should unite to help prevent infection

16

I don't think so atall.

I don't think so.

I can't say either.

I think so.

Very much so.

16.I'm not going to a crowded place for a while now.

17

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q4. During the period when the government declared a "state of emergency*" as a countermeasure against the newcoronavirus, did you do the following? (*Choose as many as you like.) (*The period and areas covered by the
declaration of a state of emergency) From April 7 to 15: Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hyogo, andFukuoka prefectures April 16 to May 13: 47 prefectures nationwide From May 14 to May 20: Hokkaido, Saitama,
Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyogo prefectures May 21 to May 25: Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyoand Kanagawa prefectures. (N=1000)%.
To buy more drinking water and food than usual

24.3

To order online instead of going to the store you usually go to.

18.5

I'm not going to a crowded place.

82.1

I don't take trains or buses.

61.0

I'll avoid seeing my friends.

56.5

To make sure you get enough sleep.

40.2

To wash one's hands well

82.8

To disinfect your hands with disinfectant.

69.1

To wear a mask when you go out.

85.9

To work from home (e.g., telework)

20.9

To stop meeting, such as a dinner party.

64.7

Meeting with friends online.

16.5

To try to keep your distance from other customers, such as when standing in line in the store.

68.6

I did nothing above.

3.0

17

18

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q5. To what extent did you reduce the following activities during the period when the government declared a state of
emergency* as a countermeasure against the novel coronavirus? Please select the appropriate answer for each of thefollowing. *Please answer in the horizontal direction (→) for each of these questions.
I stopped

altogether.

I've cut back a lot.

I've cut back some.

I've cut back a bit.

I haven't reduced it

at all.

1.To take a train or bus.

4.6

4.1

7.3

20.6

24.7

2. To meet with friends

1.7

4.1

11.2

28.1

40.5

3. To hang out

1.4

3.5

8.6

34.7

44.1

4. To go to work.

30.5

8.9

11.1

12.7

6.2

5. eating at a restaurant or diner

2.1

5.0

10.0

27.3

47.7

6. drinking with others in a bar

1.1

2.0

3.5

10.1

51.0

7. To go to the store and shop.

9.2

19.6

29.3

34.2

5.9

18

19

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q6. During the period when the government declared a state of emergency* as a countermeasure against a new typeof coronavirus, to what extent did you take the following actions in a typical day? Please select appropriate items foreach of the following. Please answer in the horizontal direction (→) for each of these questions.
I didn't do that

activity.

More than 5 hours.

More than 3 hours

to less than 5 hours

More than 2 hours

to less than 3 hours

More than 1 hour toless than 2 hours

More than 30

minutes to less thanhMore than 10

minutes to less than

30 i tLess than 10

minutes

1. Using a computer

7.1

4.5

9.8

15.0

12.1

14.5

18.3

18.7

2. using a tablet

9.5

3.8

7.4

7.8

5.1

2.7

2.3

61.4

3. Use your smartphone

3.2

7.1

14.5

18.7

17.2

13.7

12.5

13.1

4. Using a home video game console

8.8

2.7

5.1

4.8

1.7

1.9

0.8

74.2

5. take care of the children and watch them study

6.2

2.9

5.1

5.9

3.1

3.2

5.3

68.3

6. take a walk or play a sport

10.3

16.4

22.6

13.2

3.3

1.2

0.2

32.8

7.Watching TV

2.3

4.5

12.5

24.0

22.1

16.9

11.4

6.3

8.Watching videos on the Internet

7.0

12.0

15.9

19.6

11.6

6.5

4.5

22.9

9.Watching videos on Blu-ray, DVD, etc.

7.2

5.0

9.1

13.3

7.3

2.4

1.7

54.0

19

20

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q7. Which of the following applies to you during the period when a state of emergency* was declared by thegovernment as a countermeasure against the novel coronavirus? (N=1000)
%.
Total

100.0

Working full-time outside of the home

29.8

Working full-time outside of the home short time officially

6.9

Working at home as usual

4.5

Working partially at home remotely because of the coronavirus

12.8

Working completely at home remotely because of the coronavirus

4.7

Staying at home, temporarily laid off from work because of the virusʼ impact

6.7

Staying at home, having lost job because of the virusʼ impact

0.8

Was already unemployed before the coronavirus outbreak

31.6

Others:.

2.2

Q8. Prior to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, had you ever used online or audio conferencing when working fromhome? (N=175)
n

%.

Total

175

100.0

Yes

93

53.1

No

82

46.9
20

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

21

Q9. Did you use online meetings (videoconferencing or audio conferencing) when you worked from home during theperiod when the government declared a state of emergency* as a countermeasure against the new coronavirus?
(N=175)What do you think about the efficiency of telecommuting?
n

%.

Total

175

100.0

To be more efficient in your work

47

26.9

To be less efficient in your work

90

51.4

To be so effective in your work

38

21.7

21

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AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q10. How much of the following is true for you in terms of working from home? Please choose an answer for eachquestion. Please choose one that applies to each of the following.
Not at all.

Not so much, ifanything.

If anything, yes.

Exactly.

1. it is difficult to separate your personal and professional life while working

21.1

42.9

23.4

12.6

2. Lack of privacy

4.6

32.0

37.1

26.3

3. Distractions (such as children, pets, phone calls, or noisy neighbors)

10.3

43.4

27.4

18.9

4. I am tired of online phone calls and conferences

10.3

33.7

30.9

25.1

5. Concerns about supervision of my children while I am working

6.9

14.3

15.4

63.4

6. Erosion of the boundary between work and home

10.9

41.7

20.0

27.4

7. It is sometimes difficult to understand each other in business interactions.

17.1

42.9

23.4

16.6

from home

22

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AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q12. If the government were to provide the people with the following, would you use it? Please choose one for eachof the following. Please choose one that applies to each of the following. (N=1000)
If it's free, I'll use it.

I'm not going to use

I don't know.

it.

It depends on theprice, but I think I'll

Use it for a fee.

1. PCR test for new coronaviruses

6.4

23.9

46.9

11.3

11.5

2. Antibody test for new coronavirus

6.3

24.4

50.1

8.1

11.1

3. smartphone apps that allow you to check your

4.6

11.3

49.7

19.0

15.4

22.1

33.2

29.7

5.8

9.2

contact with infected people
4. Vaccination to prevent new coronavirus

23

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AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q13. How often do you use the following media? Please choose one for each category. Please choose one that applies
to each of the following.
I don't use it atall.

Less than oncea weekOnce a week.

Every four tofive days.

Once a day.

27.2

28.2

18.3

3.4

0.8

0.5

1.1

4.5

2. Watching TV dramas

3.1

5.8

14.5

23.2

10.8

5.3

7.4

8.0

21.9

3. Reading the newspaper.

2.6

3.1

10.1

31.8

3.4

1.4

2.3

5.0

40.3

4. Reading magazines

0.7

0.8

3.9

7.1

5.7

3.6

9.0

19.0

50.2

5. Searching and browsing the website

21.1

18.6

15.5

17.2

6.6

2.8

2.8

4.3

11.1

6. Reading the news online.

21.7

24.1

20.2

21.5

3.5

1.8

1.5

1.1

4.6

7. Using LINE. (a messaging app)

27.1

16.8

10.3

13.8

4.9

1.9

2.0

3.5

19.7

8. Using Twitter.

10.7

5.0

5.8

8.3

3.1

1.4

1.3

2.3

62.1

9. Using Facebook

3.0

3.5

3.6

8.9

3.8

2.3

2.8

4.0

68.1

10. Using Instagram.

10.8

5.9

4.1

7.0

2.9

1.0

1.3

2.8

64.2

11.Watching YouTube

13.3

9.3

10.5

17.1

9.7

4.1

4.0

9.2

22.8

12.Using a pay-per-view video streaming

3.6

3.4

3.1

6.2

2.5

2.2

1.8

3.1

74.1

24

Every two to

Twice a day.

16.0

servicethree days.

Three to fourtimes a day.

At least fivetimes a day.

1. Watching the news on TV

AWARENESS OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY

Q14. Please select one of the following as your current financial situation.
n

%.

Total

1000 100.0

You have a very comfortable life

59

5.9

You have a comfortable life

302

30.2

You're getting away with it.

498

49.8

You find life difficult

89

8.9

You find life very difficult

52

5.2

25

25