Survey Says March Disaster Increased Time Spent with Family, Neighbors

Nippon Research Center Ltd., a private research and study organization in Japan, released on June 3, 2011, a Japanese report titled, "Nationwide Public Opinion Poll on the Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power Plants and on Lifestyle Changes after the Great East Japan Earthquake." The report showed that since the disaster there has been an increase in interaction between the respondents and their family members and people in their local communities.

The survey, conducted in May 2011, polled 1,200 people between 15 and 79 years of age in all the 47 prefectures of Japan on the following topics: types of mass media respondents used to obtain disaster-related information; living conditions after the disaster; personal views on the use of nuclear power; and current concerns.

With regard to lifestyle changes after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the top three things respondents reported to have "increased" were: time spent with close family members (17.9 percent), with relatives (9.4 percent), and with people in the local community or neighborhood (8.6 percent).

The poll also showed that about half of respondents (48.4 percent) are against continuing to use nuclear power in order to avoid a more inconvenient life than before. Among those respondents against the use of nuclear power, 65.0 percent showed that they are seriously concerned about the measures taken in response to the failure of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and 57.6% expressed serious worry over the safety of nuclear power.

Posted: 2011/09/29 06:00:15 AM