Record 74 pct of Japanese satisfied with their lives: govt poll

August 27, 2017

TOKYO- A Cabinet Office survey showed Saturday that nearly 74 pct of Japanese people are satisfied with their current lives, the highest proportion since the survey item was added in 1963.

The share of respondents who said they are satisfied or fairly satisfied with the current state of their lives stood at 73.9 pct, up 3.8 percentage points from the previous year's survey, exceeding the previous high of 72.7 pct marked in 1995.

The latest survey also showed that 51.3 pct expressed satisfaction with their current incomes, up 3.2 points, while 46.9 pct answered the opposite, down 2.7 points. Satisfaction outstripped discontent for the first time since 1996.

The results reflected the Japanese economy's mild recovery, a Cabinet Office official said.

As for the outlook of their lives, 65.2 pct, or the largest proportion, expected little change, 23.1 pct forecast deterioration and 9.4 pct anticipated improvement.

Asked what they want to do if they have more free time, 47.0 pct chose travel, followed by hobbies and other recreation activities, at 34.8 pct, and sports, at 18.7 pct. This question showed up for the first time as the government regards work style reforms, including measures to change the practice of working long hours, as a key policy area.

On fields the government should place emphasis on, with multiple answers allowed, 65.1 pct cited social security, 51.1 pct economic policy, 51.1 pct measures to address the aging of the population and 37.3 pct employment and labor issues.

Defense and security issues were cited by 36.2 pct, the highest level since this answer was added in 2001. The result apparently reflected an increasing threat from North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and China's unrelenting maritime expansion.

The interview survey was conducted on 10,000 men and women aged 18 or older between mid-June and early July. Of them, 63.2 pct gave valid answers. Jiji Press