Dentsu Inc. Conducts Nationwide Survey on Regional Revitalization Awareness, Surveying 10,000 People

To gauge public awareness and attitudes regarding regional revitalization, Dentsu Inc. conducted a survey in April 2015 targeting 10,000 people nationwide aged 10 to 60. Below are the main findings from the survey.

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Key Findings

1.Approximately 80% recognized the term "regional revitalization." Even among those in their teens and twenties, over 60% recognized it.

• Awareness of the term "regional revitalization" (combining "know it," "know it a little," and "heard the term") was approximately 80% (77.7%) overall. Even among those in their teens and twenties, it exceeded 60% (63.9%).
• However, only 33.8% of respondents indicated they knew the content (combined "know" and "somewhat know"), dropping below 30% (24.5%) among those in their teens and twenties.
• Regarding media sources for learning about regional revitalization, "TV" (87.1%) was overwhelmingly the most common, followed by "newspapers" (43.0%) and "the internet" (22.8%).

2.Regarding the concentration of population in Tokyo, even among Tokyo residents, about 70% responded that it "should be curbed."

• Over 70% of respondents overall (75.6%) agreed that the concentration of population in Tokyo should be curbed (combining "should be curbed" and "should be curbed to some extent").
• Among Tokyo residents (1,195 people), about 70% (68.4%) also responded that it should be curbed.

3.Approximately 70% responded that they "think population decline is a problem."

• Approximately 70% of respondents (72.0%) considered Japan's population decline problematic (combined responses of "I think population decline is problematic regardless of the degree" and "Some population decline is acceptable, but a decline below 100 million people is problematic").
• On the other hand, some respondents answered that "even if the population declines as projected, it is not a problem" (10.6%) or that "they neither think population decline is a problem nor that it is not a problem" (8.7%).

4.The smaller the city, the stronger the sense that its population will decline in the future.

• When asked about future population growth prospects for their residential area by city size, it was found that smaller cities have a stronger sense that their population will decline in the future.
• In cities with populations of 1 million or more, 4.6% responded "will decrease significantly" and 31.6% "will decrease somewhat." In contrast, in cities with populations between 50,000 and 100,000, 19.8% responded "will decrease significantly" and 39.1% "will decrease somewhat." In cities with populations under 50,000, 34.5% responded "will decrease significantly" and 37.0% "will decrease somewhat."
• Conversely, responses indicating population growth (combined "slightly increase" and "greatly increase") were seen in about 10% (11.2%) of respondents in cities with populations under 50,000. This figure was 18.6% in cities with populations between 300,000 and under 500,000, 18.0% in cities with populations between 500,000 and under 1 million, and reached one in four (26.4%) in cities with populations over 1 million. Furthermore, in cities with populations of 100,000 or more, over 30% perceived that "the population will not change much," indicating that many respondents did not view this as a particular problem.

5.They are positive about regional revitalization in their residential areas. Women in their 20s to 30s are interested in childcare support.

• When asked about actions they could personally take for regional revitalization in their area (multiple answers allowed), the top responses were: "Purchasing local specialty products" (21.3%), "Participating in or cooperating with initiatives to promote local industries or revitalize the region" (20.4%), and "Participating in or cooperating with national or local government initiatives (including events)" (20.1%).
• Additionally, among those in their teens and twenties, items such as "showing consideration for pregnant women and those raising children" (26.9%), "participating in or cooperating with national or local government initiatives (including events)" (24.0%), and "directly helping pregnant women and those raising children" (18.6%) scored slightly higher than the overall average.
• Furthermore, among women in their teens to thirties, interest in childcare support was particularly pronounced compared to other generations, with "directly helping pregnant women and those raising children" (all women: 16.4%, women in their teens to thirties: 22.5%) and "showing consideration for pregnant women and those raising children" (all women: 25.4%, women in their teens to thirties: 36.5%) standing out.
• Conversely, women in their 50s and 60s showed a higher proportion than other generations who responded, "I don't have anything specific I can do, but I support the efforts."

6.There is also a willingness to contribute to regions outside one's current place of residence through purchasing, information sharing, and tax payments.

• When asked if they felt a connection to regions other than their current residence, 79.1% responded affirmatively.
• When asked what they could personally do for those regions (multiple answers allowed), the highest responses were: "Purchase local specialty products" (28.9%), "Spreading the word about the region's appeal" (25.7%), "I can't do anything specific, but I support the efforts" (23.6%), and "Making hometown tax donations (donations to municipalities)" (21.6%) were particularly high. This indicates a strong awareness of contributing through purchasing, information sharing, and tax payments.

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〈Overview of Dentsu Inc.'s Survey on Awareness of Regional Revitalization〉

Survey Participants: Individuals aged 15-69 nationwide, including high school students
Survey Method: Internet survey
Survey Period: Friday, April 24, 2015 - Monday, April 27, 2015
Sample Size: 10,000 respondents

Dentsu Inc. News Releasehttp://www.dentsu.co.jp/news/release/pdf-cms/2015058-0603.pdf