日本版 General Social Surveys 研究論文集[6] JGSS で見た日本人の意識と行動 JGSS Research Series No.3

Trends of Japanese Values and Behavioral Patterns
based on JGSS Cumulative Data 2000-2003

Noriko IWAI

Kuniaki SHISHIDO

Faculty of Business Administration

JGSS Post-doctoral Fellow

Osaka University of Commerce

Institute of Regional Studies
Osaka University of Commerce

JGSS 累積データ 2000-2003 にみる日本人の意識と行動の変化
岩井 紀子

宍戸 邦章

大阪商業大学総合経営学部

大阪商業大学比較地域研究所
JGSS ポスト・ドクトラル研究員

Japanese General Social Surveys project (JGSS) has conducted a nationwide general social
survey on a regular basis and provided its data for secondary analyses. This study examines trendsof values and behavioral patterns of Japanese people over 20 years old based on JGSS Cumulative
Data 2000-2003. We focused 127 basic questions which had been asked more than twice between
2000 and 2003. For each variable, we selected a focus category, recoded the variable into a dummy
variable, weighted each data so that we could estimate the distribution in the population, restored
the sample size and conducted χ2 analyses. We could take a general view of trends from the end of
the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century in the following seven fields: (1) gender andfamily; (2) policy and politics; (3) economy, occupation and social stratification; (4) crime and law,(5) sense of trust; (6) everyday behavior; and (7) happiness and satisfaction. JGSS Cumulative
Data 2000-2003 enables analyses on factors which caused the above changes.
Key Words：JGSS, time-series analysis, social change
Japanese General Social Surveys プロジェクトは、人々の意識や行動を総合的に調べる社会調査を継続的に実施し、データの公開を進めてきた。本稿では、2000 年から 2003
年までに実施した 4 回の調査結果に基づいて、20 歳以上の日本人の意識と行動の全般的な変化をみている。継続的に尋ねている 127 の基本項目は、以下の 7 分野に渡る：(1)家族・ジェンダー、(2)政治・政策、(3)職業・経済・社会階層、(4)犯罪・法律、(5)信頼、(6)日常の生活行動、(7)幸福感・満足感。各変数について注目するカテゴリーを定め、2 値
化し、母集団での推定ができるようにデータに重み付けをした後、元のサンプル・サイズに戻してχ2 検定を行った。20 世紀末から 21 世紀冒頭にかけての、各分野での変化をとらえることができた。JGSS 累積データ 2000‑2003 は、変化の要因分析にも利用できる。
キーワード：JGSS、時系列分析、社会変動

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1. Introduction
The Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSS) project conducts ongoing social surveys tocomprehensively study the attitudes and behavior of people, and aims to construct data sets that can beanalyzed in a time-series manner and to make these data available to those interested in secondary
research. Since the implementation of the first survey in October, 2000, the JGSS project has
conducted four main surveys during its first phase from 1999 to 2003: JGSS-2000, JGSS-2001,
JGSS-2002, and JGSS-2003.
While partially inclined toward cross-national comparisons, the questions included in the JGSS
questionnaires are basically focused on grasping the attitudes and behavior of Japanese people that are
indispensable for understanding Japanese society. Like the GSS, it does not provide detailed
information on singular items, but supplies a foundation of material for many areas of sociology, andenables analyses related to a diverse set of variables. Specifically, the survey covers a wide range of
topics including the subjects’ family structure, employment and financial situation, occupation ofparents and spouse, political party supported, political consciousness, views of family, views of life,
views on life and death, religion, leisure activities, and crime victimization. Table 1 is a list of survey
Table1 Core Replicating Questions and Topical Modules *26

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items from JGSS-2000 to JGSS-2003. The JGSS uses both an interview and a self-administered format.
Survey questions on topics such as working conditions, political party supported, marital history, andfamily structure which are complicated or widely-branched are placed in the interview questionnaire.
On the other hand, questions which are likely to evoke bias toward socially acceptable answers in aninterview setting are placed in the self-administered questionnaire.
While JGSS necessarily incorporates fundamental questions into all surveys, additional modules
with topical issues are created proactively, and were included as shown in Table 1. Consequently there
were central questions that were asked every year (that appeared four times), questions that were asked
in only one year (that appeared once), questions asked on both JGSS-2000 and JGSS-2001 with almost
no change (that appeared twice), questions that were not asked in JGSS-2003 because the interview
questionnaire was shortened (that appeared three times), and other patterns of questions.
The JGSS Cumulative Data 2000-2003 represents an arrangement and integration of the survey
data from these four JGSS surveys. Though by no means is this data on the scale of(1) the 1972-2004
cumulative data of the General Social Survey (GSS) in America (after which the JGSS was modeled),
it contains answers from a total of over 12,000 respondents with over 1,300 variables. Using the JGSS
Cumulative Data 2000-2003, this study attempted to identify changes in the attitudes and behavior ofJapanese from 2000 to 2003. This is not a long period of observation, but it provides a look at changes
from the very end of the 20th century to the opening of the 21st.

2. Procedures of Analysis
2.1 Survey Items of Focus
As stated above, the JGSS Cumulative Data 2000-2003 includes over 1,300 variables. The
study’s analysis excluded those questions related to the respondents’ family structure and affiliations(occupation, educational background, etc.), and narrowed the focus to questions about the respondents’attitudes and behavior. To enable the viewing of changes over time, variables were selected that met
the following two criteria.
1) Included in at least two of the four surveys (JGSS-2000 through JGSS-2003)
2) Included only in non-consecutive years, if only included twice.
As a result, 127 variables were analyzed, including single variables for which two or moredummy variables were created. Most of these were questions asked in the self-administeredquestionnaire. When arranged by topic, these variables fall into the seven “fields” of: (1) gender andfamily; (2) policy and politics; (3) economy, occupation and social stratification; (4) crime and law, (5)sense of trust; (6) everyday behavior; and (7) happiness and satisfaction. Table 3-1 and 3-2(pp.30-33)
list the variable groupings that were covered by this study(2).
2.2 Creation of Target Categories
In the JGSS, various scales were used according to the contents of the questions. Thus, for the
127 variables that were selected as described above, there were various scales from nominal to ratio
scales. In this study, it was decided to assign “target categories” in the same fashion to enablecapturing of overall changes in the attitudes and behavior of Japanese and making of comparisons. For
each variable, if the category to focus on was selected by the respondent (there were also cases inwhich multiple categories were combined) 1 was assigned, and if some other category was selected, 0
was assigned. With these assignments, it was possible to compare the ratio of respondents who
selected the target category for each of the variables. Responses such as “No answer,” “NotApplicable,” and “Don’t know” were excluded from the analysis. The Target Category column in27

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Table 3 lists the categories that were focused on for each of the variables.
2.3 Weighting of Cases
When attempting to infer population trends from the survey results as in this study, considerationmust be given to the divergence between the composition of the population versus that of the actual
respondents. In JGSS, as in any kind of social survey, response rate of 100 percent is never obtained.
As a consequence, discrepancies arise in the composition of the relevant survey population and theactual respondents. In particular, due to considerable concern about protection of personal information,
and also low rates of being at home due to occupational and other considerations prevalent in recent
years, there is a downward trend of response rate in social survey, and discrepancies are expanding.
Table 2 shows the discrepancy between the JGSS target population of 20 to 89 year-old Japanese and
the JGSS respondents by sex and age. Compared to the population, the JGSS respondents exhibited ahigher ratio of females, a lower ratio of those in their 20s, 30s, and 80s, and a higher ratio of those in
their 60s and 70s. Such tendencies are almost—but not completely—the same from year to year.
Table2

Population Ratio, Number of Collected Cases,

Expected Value, and Residual: JGSS-2000 to 2003

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The JGSS examines the composition of the populations from year to year (by regional block,municipality, sex, and age cohort)(3) and calculates a weighting to make each population statisticallycompatible, allowing the response trends of Japanese as a whole to be inferred from the JGSS samples.
Thus, for this analysis, sample bias was corrected for each survey year, and this weighting was used todetermine trends in the overall Japanese population. However, with weighting applied to the result ofeach year, significant results can be erroneously obtained from statistical tests due to the artificiallyenlarged sample sizes. Therefore weighted data were multiplied by [number of survey year
respondents divided by population] to restore the year’s original sample size.

3. Changes in Attitudes and Behavior from 2000 to 2003
3.1 Patterns of Change
Table 3 shows the results of calculations using the above procedure. One way of looking at thetable, for example, is to note that the ratio of Japanese agreeing with the statement, “If a husband has
sufficient income, it is better for his wife not to have a job” was 50.3 percent in 2000, 51.0 percent in2001, 49.5 percent in 2002, and 49.0 percent in 2003—almost no change. The difference between thehighest rate of agreement (51.0 percent in 2001) and the lowest (49.0 percent in 2003) did not exceed
2.0 percent. The result of chi-squared test of the distribution across 2000 to 2003 is 2.7 and isinsignificant. A chi-squared test applied to between-year changes yields insignificant results as well. It
can be said that the pattern for this focused item is “No change.” Similarly, regarding attitudes on“Gender/Family,” the percentage of Japanese agreeing with the statement, “Without a doubt, awoman’s happiness lies in a marriage” was 62.8 in 2000 but decreased to 51.4 in 2003. The "range” ofdifference between the maximum and minimum values was 12.5 percent, and the χ2 value for the
distribution across 2000 to 2003 was 142.0 which is significant at the 0.1 percent level. Most of the
between-year changes in this focused item which were significant can be said to show a pattern of“Decrease.”
In this manner, the study examined the following points: transitions and ranges of the percentagesof target category in each year from 2000 to 2003, a chi-squared test of the distribution from 2000 to
2003, and the between-year changes and directions of those changes. The results in each of the
focused item were categorized into the following four patterns.
1) No change: Significant change in distribution across 2000 to 2003 was not found, andsignificant change between 2000 and 2003 was not found (significance level of chi-squared
tests at .05).
2) Increase: Significant change in distribution across 2000 to 2003 was found, and significant
increase was found between 2000 and 2003 (including cases in which there were merely
tendencies of gradual increase across 2000 to 2003 but significant increase was foundbetween years from 2000 and 2003).
3) Decrease: Significant change in distribution across 2000 to 2003 was found, and significant
decrease was found between 2000 and 2003 (including cases in which there were merely
tendencies of gradual decrease across 2000 to 2003 but significant decrease was foundbetween years from 2000 and 2003).
4) Not constant: Significant change in distribution across 2000 to 2003 was found, but: 1)
significant change was not found between 2000 and 2003; or 2) significant change (either
increase or decrease) was found between 2000 and 2003 but the direction of significant
change was not constant among years.

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Table3-1 Indicators and Patterns of their Changes
based on JGSS Cumulative Data 2000-2003 (corrected by weight)

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Table3-2 Indicators and Patterns of their Changes
based on JGSS Cumulative Data 2000-2003 (corrected by weight)

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Figure 1 Patterns of Changes based on JGSS Cumulative Data 2000-200334

日本版 General Social Surveys 研究論文集[6] JGSS で見た日本人の意識と行動 JGSS Research Series No.3

Figure2 Patterns of Changes based on JGSS Cumulative Data 2000-2003

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The last column of Table 3 shows to which pattern of change each focused item conforms. For
cases where the target category showed an increase or decrease, the largest numbers of the percentages
from 2000 to 2003 were indicated with a colored background. If the change of the target category is
not constant, a colored background was applied when the number in a year was particularly large.
Figures 1 and 2 graphically represent the changes in focused items by the above groups. Patterns ofchanges in focused items are assembled by field in Table 4. In the next section, interpretations are
given for the changes in Japanese people's attitudes and behaviors from 2000 to 2003 in each field.
Table4 Patterns of Changes in Seven Fields

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3.2 Trends in Changes by Field
3.2.1 Gender/Family
In this field, the item that demonstrated the biggest change was view of marriage. People who
agreed that "Without a doubt, a woman’s happiness lies in a marriage (V2)." or "Without a doubt, aman’s happiness lies in a marriage (V5)." decreased by 10 percent or more over the 3 year period.
There has been much discussion about “View on Connection between Women Happiness andMarriage” since the publication of Makeinu no Tooboe (grumbling of the loser) (Sakai Junko) in
October, 2003. Contrary to the labeling of the unwed as “losers,” the opinions among people that“happiness does not necessarily lie in marriage,” and “that goes for men as well as women” may havealready been in the process of becoming commonplace. Also, the norm of gender role–based divisionof labor in which "A husband’s job is to earn money; a wife’s job is to look after the home and family(V4)" is slowly on the decline; people who agreed with this once overwhelmingly-supported custom
dropped to just half in 2003. Similar trends were confirmed by the Cabinet Office’s “Public Opinion
Poll on a Gender-equal Society.”On the other hand, the thinking that "A preschool child is likely to suffer if his or her motherworks(V6)" has shown a gradual increasing trend. Given that societal scrutiny of working mothers is
becoming rather severe, the percentage of people thinking that the “Ideal Number of Children” is“Three or more children (V10)” is gradually sinking. However, the just under 40 percent of people
who think that “It is not necessary to have children in a marriage (V7)” has not changed, though this is
not because people have become negative about having children. Although the percentage of people
thinking that “Men should cook and look after themselves (V3)” was declining in 2002, still 85
percent agreed with the statement in 2003. Furthermore, according to NHK’s “National Time Use
Survey” men in their fifties and sixties who “do some housework on weekdays” are increasing.
In these ways, in the field of Gender/Family, while changes toward living life more freely were
found regardless of sex, the percentage of people who said that their “View on Three Generations
Living Together” was “Desirable (V9)” decreased then swung back upward slightly.
3.2.2 Policy/Politics
In the field of politics, Japan can be seen to be progressing rapidly toward the two major politicalparty system after entering 2003. The approval rating of the Liberal Democratic Party (Political Party
Supported 1:V14) increased in 2001 with the inauguration of the Koizumi cabinet, and further
increased in 2003 when Prime Minister Koizumi was reelected as the President of the Liberal
Democratic Party. Also, although the approval rating of the Democratic Party of Japan (Political Party
Supported 2:V15) fell once during 2001, it grew substantially when it merged with the former Liberal
Party in 2003, and its reputation for competence (“Political Party Able to Run Country:
Democratic”:V19) rose. The percentage supporting no party (Political Party Supported 4:V17) shrunkin 2003 for that, but even so, approximately half of the respondents still did not support any party. The
sense of the efficacy of politics is in a downward trend, and in 2003, those who thought that "People
like me don’t have any say about what the government does (V21)" exceeded 60 percent, and those
who thought that "Politics and government are too complicated for me to understand what is going on(V22)." reached 70 percent. Above all, it may be of concern that people thinking that "Many people
vote at elections, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t (V23)" is approaching 20 percent.
On the other hand, these same people had opinions concerning government expenditures during
the three years. Rather than issues of global scale such as “Government Expenditure on Environmental
Issue (V28)” and “Government Expenditure on Foreign Aid (V32),” there were calls for expenditures

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on issues close to home and an increased feeling that “Government Expenditure on Crackdown on
Crime (V29),” “Government Expenditure on Education (V30),” “Government Expenditure on
Employment Measures (V35),” and “Government Expenditure on Social Security (V34)” fell short. As
for an increase in the opinion that “Government Expenditures on National Security (V31)” were toofew, this may not have been unrelated to outbreaks of terrorism sparked by the “9/11” terrorist attacks
in the US in 2001. While the “Income Tax Burden (V36)” increased, the percentage of people who
responded “Worse” when asked, “How much old age pension do you think you will receive? Do you
think it will be much better than those paid now? (V37)” reached 94 percent. Even so, people who
think that the “Responsibility of Livelihood of Elderly/Responsibility of Care for Elderly (V26/27)” is
no longer with Individuals and families but rather with governments have greatly increased to becomea majority. The widening of the income gap was one of the topics under discussion at the opening of
the 164th session of the Diet on January 20, 2006, but the rate of agreement among people with theopinion that “It is the responsibility of the government to reduce the differences in income between
families with high incomes and those with low incomes (V38)” fluctuated during these three years
between 47 and 54 percent.
As such, in the field of Policy/Politics, while the two major party system advances, the public is
finding participation in politics less appealing, there is a sense of social unrest, and their attention isturned inward. Even so, they by no means think that a wide income gap is a positive development.
3.2.3 Economy/Occupation/Social Stratification
Did the income gap actually grow? In this study we have not yet pursued whether the top andbottom have widened, but in these three years the domestic financial situation has surely worsened,
and the lower class has grown. The percentage of those who responded “Getting worse (V52)” when
asked "During the last few years, has your financial situation been getting better, worse, or has it
stayed the same?" increased notably in 2001, and in 2003 approached half. The percentage of people
whose yearly household income (Household Annual Income 1:V48) was under 5.5 million yen (theaverage household income in 2003 was 5.8 million) exceeded 50 percent in 2002, and people making
under 3.5 million (Household Annual Income 2:V49) in 2003 exceeded 30 percent. In these terms,
financial situations, in both objective numbers and subjective appraisal, have clearly worsened in thesethree years. Interestingly, however, when asked, "Compared with Japanese families in general, what
would you say about your family income?(V53)" the percentage of people responding “Below
average” was not found to have changed significantly (although it crept up over the three years).
Namely, their own financial situation worsened, but when they considered the overall worsening insociety, some people felt that they could not answer “Below average,” and only went so far as to call ita “Decrease” in the “Relative evaluation of annual household income.”
Still, it is not only the flow of funds such as annual household income, but rather also if subjects
considered inheritances and savings accumulated up to the present, when asked “If we were to divide
the contemporary Japanese society into the following five strata, which would you say you belong to?”(about their “Position in the Society 5 Strata (V51),” in 2001), the responses were progressively andsignificantly lower. In 2001, the people who marked “Lower middle” or “Lower” on the
self-administered questionnaire exceeded 40 percent. The percentage of people who answered “Notsufficient” when asked, "In your opinion, how much opportunity would you say there is in theJapanese society to improve the standard of living for you and/or for your family? (V54)" had climbed
to nearly 50, perhaps indicating a process of shifting to a society without possibility for upward
mobility. Still, as soon as 2003 began, there was a dramatic rise in people who ranked themselves as

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“Below middle” when asked to do so directly by a researcher under “Position in the Society in 10
Level (V50).” Up to then, one would hesitate to rank oneself as “Low class” relative to other people,
but around that time it seems this hesitation was rapidly disappearing. “The Economics of the Age ofSurviving on 3 Million Yen a Year” (Morinaga Takuro) was published in March of 2003, and aroundthat time it may have been more and more acceptable for one to admit to being “lower class.”
As to the question of whether the percentage of regular employees (Employment Status 1:V46(only employed)) decreased, and that of the irregular workers (Employment Status 2:V47 (onlyemployed)) increased, it appears to be heading in that direction, but the change is not definite. The
JGSS results differ slightly from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ “Labour Force Survey” and theMinistry of Health, Labor, and Welfare’s “Monthly Labour Survey” as it does not survey people under
20 years old. In 2003, regular employees (Employment Status 1 (only employed)) constituted less than
60 percent, and irregular employees (Employment Status 2 (only employed)) reached slightly over 20
percent. The percentage of people finding “Satisfaction with Your Job:V44 (only employed)”remained around 63, and people having no “Intention to Keep Working in Present Workplace:V45(only employed)” also hardly changed (7-8 percent). However, people who thought the “Possibility of
Loosing Your Job:V42(only employed)” to be “Likely” in the coming year grew markedly in 2001 to
exceed 20 percent, and the percentage of people who answered that the “Degree of Ease of Finding the
Similar Job:V43 (only employed)” if they were to quit their current job was “Easy” varied between 25
and 29. As confirmed even by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare’s “Basic Survey on Labour
Unions” rates of membership in labor unions(V41) is declining. The percentage of workers whose
weekly work hours are less than 35 (Work Hours 1:V39 (only employed)) shifted around 25, and thepercentage of those working 60 or more hours per week (Work Hours 2:V40(only employed)) shiftedaround 12, and in both cases no significant change was identified.
3.2.4 Crime/Law
As was seen in the Policies/Politics field, there was a sharp increase in the number of people who
think that “Governments Expenditure on Crime Control (V29)” is “Too little,” and in 2003 the ratio
exceeded two-thirds. But was there actually an increase in people who were victims of crime? People
responding “Yes” to the question, “During the past year, did anyone break into your home? (V123)”
increased minutely from the 3 percent level of 2000, but did not change significantly. Also, people
responding “Yes” to the question, “During the past year, did anyone take something directly from you
by using force such as a stickup, mugging, or by threat? (V124)” shifted between 0.6 and 1.0 percent,but that shift was also not found to be significant. In either case, as these events have extremely small
occurrence rates in the overall population, it may be difficult to accurately discern any changes in asocial survey. Further, according to the “White Paper on Crime” from the Ministry of Justice,recognized cases of burglaries grew from 118 thousand in 2000 to 148 thousand in 2003. In the samemanner, purse-snatchings are also increasing rapidly along with muggings, and a thirty-year high of 53
thousand was recorded in 2002. The National Police Agency uses the four major larcenies of break-ins,
pick-pocketing, purse-snatching, and auto theft as one of the indices for observations about the state of
public security. After the increase in recognized cases from 423 thousand in 2000 to 478 thousand in
2002, there was a decrease to 469 thousand in 2003 but this was still a high level as before. Suchdeterioration of public safety is reflected in people’s daily perceptions, and the percentage of peopleanswering “Yes” when asked, "Is there any area within 1 km (15-minutes’ walk) of your home where
you would be afraid to walk alone at night? (V122)" increased dramatically in 2003 to 60.
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were arrested have trended upward since 1990. Arrests on murder have moved around 100 since 1998.
All arrests on infractions of the juvenile law including the heinous crimes that grab the public’s
attention increased from 193 thousand in 2000 to 204 thousand in 2003, and arrests per 100,000 in the
teenage population has also risen since 2001 to 1552.9 in 2003. Given this background, people whose“View on Revision of Juvenile Law” was that it “Should be revised for harsher punishment (V125)”
occupied almost 80 percent in 2000. As if pressed by public opinion, the first broad reforms since theend of World War II were implemented in November of this year. There are currently attempts toreview the juvenile law for further reforms. The rate of support for “harsher punishment” increased
further in 2003 to 83.2 percent.
Also, a bill has not even been conceived yet, but there is the issue of a majority of people who
support the creation of laws that recognize euthanasia, and usually about 90 percent of subjects answer“Yes” when asked, “When a person has a fatal disease (that cannot be cured), do you think doctors
should be allowed by law to end the patient’s life by some painless means if the patient and his/herfamily request it? (V127)”
One of the problems under long term investigation by the government from the middle of the
bubble economy to the present has been the acceptance of foreign workers. Although there are policies
for hiring people of Japanese descent as employees or trainees, there is not a high degree of readinessto hire immigrants, yet the numbers of foreigners living in Japan continues to increase. While seeing
such a situation on a daily basis, when asked "Are you for or against an increase in the number offoreigners in your community? (V126)," the percentage shifted to about 40 answering “Agree.”3.2.5 Sense of Trust
What sorts of changes were revealed during this period regarding feelings of trust toward theaverage person or organization? To the question, "Generally speaking, would you say that most people
can be trusted? (V103-105)," the percentage of people answering “Yes” and “No” both decreased.
There was an increasing trend in people who answered “Depends” (from 63 to 68 percent). On theother hand, for “Estimation of Human Nature (V106),” the percentage of people who think that
“Human nature is basically good” remained at 48, absolutely no change. Therefore while it cannot be
said that people’s sense of trust dropped, still, people can be swayed by circumstances to do bad things,
and it may be that one cannot automatically trust just anyone at any time.
Regarding trust in organizations, several changes could be confirmed. Raised levels of “Trust in
Major Companies (V107)” (67%→71%), “Trust in Religious Organizations (V108)” (15%→19%),“Trust in TV (V114)” (83%→85%), and “Trust in Police (V120)” (75%→78%) were experienced
during this period. Concerning “Trust in Major Companies,” it was reported that Toyota’s current
profits broke through the 1 trillion yen mark in May, 2002, and feelings of trust that had fallen during
the bubble may have found some traction from major corporations. Hence, trust was thought to be
gradually recovering during this period. “Trust in Religious Organizations” declined considerably
following the sarin gas subway attack by the newly-formed religious cult, “Aum Shinrikyo” in March,
1995. Though it gradually increased, the percentage of people trusting religious groups cut off at 20,
which was the lowest level of trust toward any of the sixteen different agencies inquired about. “Trustin Police” increased, as seen in the Crime/Law field. Whether based on the numbers or “gut” feeling,with public security degenerating, it may be that more and more people felt that the police were theones to be depended upon. The remarkable rise in 2001 is decidedly related to the 9/11 terrorism
incident.
By contrast, declines in trust during this period were experienced in terms of “Trust in Labor

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Unions (V111),” (65%→59%), “Trust in Financial Institutions” (V121) (68%→63%), and “Trust in
Self Defense Forces (V119)” (80%→76%). With regards to “Trust in Labor Unions,” when a decreasein rates of membership occurred, trust in both the image and reality of unions was starting to decrease.
Concerning “Trust in Financial Institutions,” in December, 2000 the Kansai Kogyo Bank and Tokyo
Commercial Credit Union failed. In March of 2002 it was reported that the twelve major banks had
total deficits of 2.5 trillion yen, and in May, 2003 the government decided to invest public funds in
Resona Bank. It can be said that this state of affairs shook people’s trust in financial institutions.
“Trust in Self-Defense Forces” dropped significantly in 2002. This may have been affected by the“Anti-Terrorism Special measures Law” enacted on November 29, 2001 for the purpose of allowing
the self-defense forces to support anti-terror military operations conducted by the United States
military and others, and the subsequent dispatch of self-defense force troops starting with the marine
self-defense force vessels. During the time until 2003, the form of trust in the self-defense forces andpolice changed.
Consistent, solid trust appeared as “Trust in Newspapers (V112)” (about 95 percent) and “Trust in
Courts (V115)” (about 91 percent). “Trust in Hospitals (V113)” also exceeded 90 percent, but
fluctuated due to occurrences of medical errors. Items in which there were similar changes in sense oftrust included “Trust in Scholars (V116)” (87%–91%), “Trust in Schools (V109)” (85%–89%), “Trustin Ministries and Government Agencies (V110)” (55%–60%), “Trust in Members of Municipal
Councils (V118)” (44%–49%), and “Trust in Diet Members (V117)” (33%–38%).
3.2.6 Everyday Behavior
Changes in everyday behavior that will have to be given attention are the accelerating transitions
to a networked society. “Use of Communication Media: E-Mail for Work (V72),” and “Use ofCommunication Media: E-Mail for Private (V73),” is increasing, and not only ”Use ofCommunication Media: PC at Workplace (V74),” but also ”Use of Communication Media: PC at
Home (V75)” are rapidly being widespread. People who have “Use of Communication Media: Internet
Shopping (V76)” doubled from six percent, and is likely to increase more and more in the future. On
the other hand, people who have “Use of Communication Media: Internet Stock Trading (V77)”
stopped at 1 percent and stayed at that level even in 2003. The percentage of subjects who have “Useof Communication Media: Cellular Phone (V78)” had already surpassed half in 2000, and neared
two-thirds in 2003. For “Use of Communications Media: Fax (V79),” the fax machine is considered to
be a previous-generation device relative to other devices, but usage has only increased rather thanweakened. People probably select from a variety of media depending on the person with whom they
are communicating, and the contents that they wish to communicate.
Behavior requiring not only contact through the internet but also face-to-face communication
increased slowly. There was an increase in “Frequency of Meals with Friends (V60),” and trends ofincreased “Membership of Sports Groups (V85)” and “Membership of Hobby Groups (V86).”
However, there were large age differences in “net behavior” and hobbies, making it necessary tocarefully investigate which generations increased which behaviors.
On the other hand, for entertainment there was reduced “Frequency of Playing Shogi(V65),”“Frequency of Playing Mahjong(V67),” and “Frequency of Playing Pachinko(V70)," and more than
80 percent reported “Not at all/Don’t know about the activity” on the items of “Frequency of Playing
Shogi” and “Frequency of Playing Mahjong.” Although there was low “Frequency of Playing
Go(V66),” a definite echelon of enthusiasts is maintained. There is movement in the “Frequency of
Enjoying Karaoke(V71).” In terms of gambling, the “Frequency of Buying Numbers/Mini-lotto(V68)”

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does not exceed more than about 20 percent of subjects, but the “Frequency of Buying Lottery[tickets](V69)” consistently exceeds half.
As shown previously, people have a solid “Trust in Newspapers” and “Trust in TV,” and mostpeople have daily contact with these two media. More than 70 percent of people read a newspaper(V55) almost every day, and nearly 40 percent watch television (V56) 4 or more hours per day.
Indications are that time for reading newspapers is being overtaken by usage of the Internet to checknews, but in 2003 at least, there was no change in the behavior itself of reading a newspaper “Almost
everyday.” On the other hand, as for questions about a “separation from books,” answers can only beaffirmative. Even when the “Number of Books You Read a Month (V57)” (aside from comics andmagazines) is only 1, the percentage in 2001 tops out at 50.
The effects that smoking and second-hand smoking have on health have continued to be indicatedfor a quite a while. Moreover, lawsuits in which tobacco companies and countries are the defendants
appeared even in Japan starting in 1999. As if linked with these kinds of movements, the percentage
with a “Smoking Habit (V89)” gradually decreased from 34 to 30 percent. Regarding the question,“Do you follow a religion? (V87),” while more than 70 percent said “No,” there is a trend toward anincreased percentage of “Membership of Religious Groups.”
No changes could be ascertained in indices regarding family life. 70 percent of people or more
kept a “Frequency of Family Dinner (V59)” of more than several times a week. 52 percent reported a“Frequency of Doing Laundry (V62),” “Frequency of Grocery Shopping (V63),” and “Frequency of
Preparing Dinner (V61)” of several times a week or more, and this overlaps almost exactly withJapanese women 20 years of age or older.
3.2.7 Happiness/Satisfaction
Finally, let us summarize the changes in people’s level of satisfaction with life and sense ofhappiness. As we have seen up to now, overall public security has deteriorated, and incomes are falling.
However, more than half reported “Satisfaction with Area of Residence (V92),” just under 30 percent
had “Satisfaction with Household Budget Situation (V95),” and 60 percent felt generally “Happy(V99).” At least up until 2003, this did not change.
However, the percentage of people that were “Satisfied” in terms of “Satisfaction with Leisure
Activities (V93),” “Satisfaction with Friendship (V96),” and “Satisfaction with Health Condition(V97).” increased notably in 2003. This may indicate a full life outside of work centered onrelationship with friends, such as “Frequency of Meals with Friends,” “Membership of Sports
Groups,” and “Membership of Hobby Groups.” In 2003, people whose “Health Conditions (V100)”
were favorable increased significantly, and along with fulfilling leisure activities, this may be linked to
the rising satisfaction concerning health. As Japan faces the aging of the overall population, increased
numbers of healthy people and rising satisfaction with health are positive phenomena.
Why did the people who responded “Happy” when asked, “Would you say that your marriage ishappy or unhappy? (V98)” increase slowly until 2002 (was not asked in 2003), and why did“Satisfaction with Family Life (V94)” increase in 2003? To answer these questions will require moredetailed analysis.

4. Conclusion
The results of this study based on JGSS Cumulative Data 2000-2003 are summarized as follows:
1) Decrease of income and increase of lower class identification
2) Inward-looking orientation of people in government policy

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3) Emerging "Two major political party system" and declining sense of political efficacy
4) Increasing demands on government's care for elderly
5) Mixed change of radicalism and conservatism in gender and family
6) Deteriorating public peace and order leads to support of harsher punishment
7) Sense of trust fluctuates under the influence of current affairs8) Information technology penetrates deeply to everyday life9) Satisfactions in leisure, friendship and health increased, despite flagging economic conditions
As described above, this study examines changes in overall trends primarily among Japanese of
20 years of age and above. The direction and extent of changes in attitudes and behavior differ quite
often according to attributes such as sex, age, and educational background. In this study, thesedifferences were set aside for the time being in an attempt to get an overall view of the changes. JGSS
Cumulative Data 2000-2003 is data that will make analysis in the future possible, namely detailed
analysis on factors that give shape to general trends. It is hoped that researchers in and outside ofJapan will challenge further analyses.
The JGSS project conducted the fifth survey in 2005 and the sixth survey in 2006. On and after
2006, there are plans to conduct the survey every two years. By accumulating surveys now and in the
future, we will continue to track changes in Japanese attitudes and behavior, and attempt to investigate
the background of those changes.
[Acknowledgement]
The Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSS) are designed and carried out at the Institute of Regional
Studies at Osaka University of Commerce in collaboration with the Institute of Social Science at the Universityof Tokyo under the direction of Ichiro TANIOKA, Michio NITTA, Hiroki SATO and Noriko IWAI with ProjectManager, Minae OSAWA. The project is financially assisted by Gakujutsu Frontier Grant from the Japanese
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for 1999-2003 academic years, and the datasets
are distributed by SSJ Data Archive, Information Center for Social Science Research on Japan, Institute of Social
Science, the University of Tokyo.

[Footnotes](1)In 25 surveys, approximately 45,000 people responded, and over 4,200 variables were constructed.
(2)You can view the JGSS questionnaire on the JGSS Web site at: http://jgss.daishodai.ac.jp.
(3)The six regional blocks are Hokkaido/Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku/Shikoku, and Kyushu.
Metropolitan areas are cities and districts including major cities. Sex is male and female. The six age brackets
are 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s/80s. The population in each year is categorized by regional block,municipality, sex, and age bracket (6x2x2x6=144), and the population of each category is divided by the
number of respondents in the category to determine the weighting value. For details on the weighting
calculation, see the “Japanese General Social Surveys, JGSS Cumulative Code Book 2000-2003” Also, thecriterion population used in the weighting calculation was the total population of respondents, not theJapanese population.

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