Results from a Recent Poll of Stress Levels in Japan July 2007
Stress levels in Japan are generally thought to be fairly high. It appears that this is the case.
Continue reading for some very interesting results from a 5 day internet survey in July 2007. Over 13,000 members of the MyVoice internet community responded to a internet-based survey On the amount of stress they experienced, the causes and their coping mechanisms. 54% of the sample was male, 2% in their teens, 18% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 27% in their forties, and 14% aged fifty or older. To my mind that is a huge response to a 5 day poll.
One thing that may bias the results is that the age range is heavily weighted to the mid 30’s. While in the population as a whole 21% are elderly only 14% of this sample was over 50.
Top 10 Sources of Stress
| Work or school inter-personal relationships | 51.2% |
| Money-related issues | 38.3% |
| Family relations, home environment | 33.3% |
| Work or study matters | 27.4% |
| In-laws | 19.7% |
| Child rearing, education | 19.0% |
| Housework-related day-to-day issues | 17.6% |
| Relationships with friends | 14.6% |
| Relationships with neighbors | 14.2% |
| Commuting | 8.3% |
Top 10 Effects of Stress
| Get irritated easily | 56.00% |
| Can’t sleep, shallow sleep | 35.00% |
| No energy | 30.80% |
| Stomach gets upset | 29.30% |
| Cannot concentrate | 22.90% |
| Headaches, dizziness | 17.30% |
| Over eating, over drinking | 15.10% |
| Cannot shake off sleepiness | 14.50% |
| Back pain, stiff shoulders | 13.50% |
| Smoke more cigarettes | 11.80% |
| Poor skin condition | 9.50% |
| Drink more | 9.00% |
Top 10 Means of Coping with stress
| Get lots of sleep, lunchtime nap | 29.00% |
| Eat delicious or favourite foods | 26.00% |
| Talk to friends | 22.90% |
| Talk to family | 20.20% |
| Go shopping | 20.10% |
| Drink alcohol | 17.90% |
| Watch a film, drama | 16.20% |
| Soak in the tub, take a shower | 14.20% |
| Read a book | 13.40% |
| Do sports or exercise | 13.00% |
Amounts spent in coping with stress
| Nothing | 28.40% |
| Up to 1,000 yen= $8.5 USD | 8.80% |
| 1,000 to 3,000 yen = $8.50 -$25.25 | 14.50% |
| 3,000 to 5,000 yen = $25.25 - $42 | 14.20% |
| 5,000 to 7,000 yen = $42 - $59 | 6.60% |
| 7,000 to 10,000 yen = $59 - $84 | 9.90% |
| 10,000 to 15,000 yen = $84 - $126 | 7.80% |
| 15,000 to 20,000 yen = $126 - $169 | 3.20% |
| 20,000 to 30,000 yen = $169 - $253 | 3.00% |
| 30,000 to 50,000 yen = $253 - $422 | 1.60% |
Watch for future postings comparing these results to results from the US and elsewhere around the world.
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6 Comments
Write a Comment»I’m surprised that only 13% of respondents said that they workout to relieve stress. I know that working out it the cure for me!
I was too. Exercise one of the most recommended approaches to stress management. I hope to get around to finding more studies from the U.S. and see how they compare
It would have been nice if you’d mentioned that you’d taken most of the content from my web site.
Ken,
Sorry about the link. The link was supposed to point to your site. It has been fixed.
having a massage works for me when the stress levels are over the top
I’m surprise illness does not show as a source of stress. It will be interesting to see if that source shows in the top ten of the U.S. survey.