Is there a significant gap between the "ideal way of working" and the current reality?

DENTSU SOKEN INC. and Dentsu Future Forecasting Support Lab conducted the "Quality of Society Survey 2020" in November 2020, surveying 12,000 people nationwide in Japan under the supervision of Professor Yasufumi Shibauchi of Tokyo Keizai University. This survey, aimed at understanding people's awareness and values regarding society, conducted its first round in December 2019. We plan to collect and accumulate data annually going forward.

This series explores the current state of people's awareness and values regarding society, based on key findings from the survey, and seeks pathways toward realizing a society where people can find meaning in life.

The survey examined people's social awareness and values from three perspectives: "Individual Perspective," "Family/Community Perspective," and "Society Perspective." The second installment of this series presents findings from the "Individual Perspective: Individual Proactivity and Autonomy."

<Table of Contents>
▼About 60% Report Being "Healthy" Both Physically and Mentally; Little Change from Last Year
▼Discrepancy between consumers' desired "ideal work style" and current reality
▼Low expectations for communication mediated by digital technology
▼What people want children to develop: "Compassion and Independence"
▼Are people proactive and self-reliant for a better life?
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About 60% report being "healthy" in both body and mind; little change from last year

First, let's examine data concerning consumers' physical and mental health amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Regarding physical health, 61.6% responded "healthy," while 56.8% responded "healthy" for mental health. Respectively, 19.0% and 20.8% responded "not healthy." The levels of physical and mental health were nearly identical. The figures showed almost no change between the end of 2019 and the end of 2020. Although not shown here, there was also little change over the year when broken down by gender and age group. Regarding people's awareness of their physical and mental health, COVID-19 does not seem to have had a significant impact.

Discrepancy between consumers' desired "ideal work style" and current reality

Next, let's examine attitudes toward work styles. The chart below shows responses to questions about "ideal work or work style" and "current work situation or work style."

The top priorities for "ideal work styles" are, in descending order: "Stable employment" (63.7%), "Work that is interesting or enjoyable to me" (51.7%), "Income that meets my expectations" (50.7%), "An atmosphere where it's easy to speak up" (48.0%), and "Being able to take leave without worry during childbirth, childcare, or caregiving" (43.4%).

Meanwhile, the top aspects currently present in their work or work style are: "Stable employment" (21.0%), "Being able to do work that interests me or that I enjoy" (13.1%), "An atmosphere where it's easy to speak up" (12.8%), "Being able to have a side job or multiple jobs" (10.9%), and "Being able to utilize my abilities in the business" (10.4%).

A significant gap between ideal and reality is evident regarding "desired income." Overall, it is clear that the reality of the workplace is not keeping pace with people's expectations for their jobs.

The following chart shows responses to questions about efforts toward "work-related skill development."

Regarding work-related skill development, 50.7% of respondents reported engaging in some form of the above activities, though this represents a decrease of approximately 4% compared to 2019. While over half of respondents are pursuing work-related skill development, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have somewhat slowed this progress.

Low Expectations for Digital Communication

Next, from questions about daily life and relationships, we present attitudes toward digital-mediated relationships.

61.9% of respondents believe that "interactions on SNS (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) tend to be superficial," while only 5.4% believe that "interactions on SNS allow you to get to know someone deeply." Furthermore, only 28.4% believe "SNS expands connections with new people," and 20.5% think "SNS strengthens existing connections with acquaintances." In contrast, 51.1% responded "I can't say either way."

Despite its widespread adoption, SNS is not widely recognized as a tool for deepening or expanding relationships.

Regarding video calls and conferences, only 23.8% of respondents felt they "facilitate" communication as effectively as meeting in person, while 40.3% felt they "do not facilitate" it. Regarding talking face-to-face via video calls or online meetings with people they've never met in person, 23.3% said they "have no reservations," while 52.1% said they "have reservations."

Although remote communication via the internet has increased during the pandemic, many people still seem to have reservations about using it.

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What parents want their children to develop: "Compassion and Independence"

Next, please look at the chart below titled "What I Want My Child to Develop."

The top responses were: "Consideration for others" (71.5%), "Independence" (55.5%), "Perseverance and a willingness to work hard" (55.5%), "Teamwork" (53.6%), "Following rules" (53.5%), and "The ability to find what they want to do" (52.9%).

The lowest-ranked traits were "competitiveness" (19.1%) and "leadership" (19.1%). Traits like "competitiveness," which focus on surpassing others, remained at the bottom, while traits like "compassion," which foster mutual understanding between people, ranked highest.

Are people proactive and self-reliant for a better life?

The above presents survey results from the "Individual Perspective: Individual Proactivity and Autonomy" section.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, subjective mental and physical health levels showed no significant fluctuations in the data. Amid the ongoing unpredictable infection situation, we believe continued attention to people's mental and physical health awareness remains essential.

Regarding work, while people seek proactive and autonomous ways of working, the current workplace reality does not yet seem to meet these expectations. Initiatives to improve workplaces and promote individual skill development are crucial to support and empower individuals.

Expectations for digital communication, which has become widespread recently, are not necessarily high. As opportunities for in-person communication decrease in the new normal, this also presents a potential concern for the future.

What people sought in children was not leadership or competitiveness, but rather compassion and self-reliance. If we view children as the future, then the ideal future human being envisioned by people is likely not someone seeking to dominate others, but rather an individual who strives for self-realization through mutual support in equal relationships. While this could be interpreted as an effect of economic stagnation, it represents a notable sign of shifting values worth noting when considering future individual learning and work styles.

Next time, we will examine the current state of public consciousness and signs of societal change from the perspective of "Social Group Cooperation and Mutual Aid: Are People Collaborating for Better Lives?"

*The percentages in the graph are calculated based on the actual number of respondents within each category and rounded to the nearest whole number. Similarly, the combined percentage of respondents is calculated based on the actual number of respondents in the combined categories and rounded, so it may not always match the simple sum of the individual percentages.

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Survey Overview
Title: "Quality of Society Survey"
Survey Period: First Survey: December 11-18, 2019; Second Survey: November 11-17, 2020
Survey Method: Internet survey
Target Area: Nationwide
Respondents: 12,000 men and women aged 18 to 74
Survey Company: Dentsu Macromill Insight, Inc.

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