Approximately 70% believe "telework should become permanent" even after COVID-19 subsides. Discover public sentiment through a nationwide survey of 12,000 people.

DENTSU SOKEN INC. and Dentsu Future Forecasting Support Lab conducted the "Quality of Society Annual Survey 2021" in October 2021, targeting 12,000 men and women nationwide, under the supervision of Professor Yasufumi Shibauchi of Tokyo Keizai University. The "Quality of Society Annual Survey" aims to understand people's attitudes and values regarding society. The first survey was conducted in December 2019, making this the third iteration. Plans are in place to continue collecting and accumulating data on a regular basis.

About Quality of Society
https://institute.dentsu.com/philosophy/
 

About the Future Prediction Support Lab
https://www.dentsu-fsl.jp/
 

About the Future Business Creation Research Institute
https://dentsumirai.com/
 

Survey:
[Social Perspective]
Are social institutions and systems functioning to enable people to lead better lives?
【Family and Community Perspective】
Are people cooperating with each other to achieve better lives?
【Individual Perspective】
Are people proactive and self-reliant in pursuit of better lives?
The survey questions, designed based on these three core concerns, comprise 35 categories totaling 200 questions.

This article highlights several characteristic data points from the diverse findings of the 2021 survey, symbolizing the current state of people's awareness from the three perspectives above. For questions also asked in previous surveys, comparisons with the results of the last two surveys were attempted.

<Table of Contents>

▼[Social Perspective] Anxiety about the future survival of local communities and societies

▼[Family & Community Perspective] Growing acceptance of new family structures

▼[Individual Perspective] New desires for living spaces sparked by the pandemic

▼Social initiatives supporting changing public awareness and values

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【Societal Perspective】Concerns about the future survival of local communities and neighborhoods

The graph below shows survey results regarding satisfaction with the systems and structures supporting life in local communities.

The items where the combined percentage of respondents who answered "Satisfied, consider it sufficient" or "Somewhat satisfied, consider it somewhat sufficient" exceeded 50% were: "Regional medical system (hospitals, health centers, etc.)" at 54.8%, "Convenience and reliability of services at the nearest financial institution" at 54.7%, and "Stable supply of water, electricity, gas, etc., and mechanisms to maintain this into the future" at 54.5%.

Conversely, items where the combined percentage of respondents who answered "Not at all satisfied/Not at all adequate" or "Somewhat dissatisfied/Somewhat inadequate" exceeded half were: "Mechanisms to maintain a balanced age-specific population, such as preventing the outflow of young people" (54.5%), and "Space design that allows smooth movement for everyone, including people with disabilities, the elderly, and children" (53.4%).

The consistently high satisfaction with the medical system combating COVID-19, financial institutions supporting the daily economy, and water, electricity, and gas services sustaining daily life can be seen as one manifestation of the robustness of Japan's social infrastructure. On the other hand, it is concerning that the top source of dissatisfaction is "mechanisms to maintain a balanced age-specific population."

The declining birthrate and aging population are widely recognized social challenges, and a balanced age-specific population is, in essence, the foundation for sustaining future local communities. It appears that people still perceive countermeasures as insufficient and harbor concerns. Proactive efforts are needed to connect satisfaction with current social systems to future living standards.

[Family & Community Perspective] Growing Acceptance of New Family Structures

The following compares public attitudes toward various "family forms" over time.

In the 2021 survey, 80.7% responded that they could accept men taking childcare leave (combining "I think I could accept it" and "I tend to think I could accept it"), exceeding 80%. Acceptance rates were 74.0% for "international marriages," 71.4% for "stay-at-home dads," 61.0% for "separate surnames for married couples," 59.1% for "foster care systems," 43.2% for "same-sex marriage," and 40.8% for "living together with single adults who are neither relatives nor married/in a common-law relationship (e.g., share houses)."

Particularly noteworthy is that for most items where comparison between 2020 and 2021 is possible (excluding "separate surnames for married couples"), the percentage of "acceptable" responses has increased. This shows a steady expansion in awareness of diversity surrounding family. It may reflect a desire to update views on family—the most intimate human relationship—and flexibly adapt to future societal and community changes, such as declining birthrates, aging populations, and shifts in demographic balance.

[Individual Perspective] New Desires for Living Locations Sparked by the Pandemic

Next, let's examine data related to individuals. The chart below summarizes the results of a single-answer survey asking respondents to indicate their priorities for where they would like to live in the future, based on their free preferences, separate from their current residence or work circumstances.

"Good safety" ranked highest at 96.1%, followed by "Convenient for shopping" at 94.2%, "Low risk of natural disasters like floods or earthquakes" at 93.5%, "Friendly local community atmosphere" at 88.9%, and "Clean water and air" at 86.2%.

This suggests that an ideal place to live is one where the "safety," "convenience," "community," and "environment" aspects of daily life are highly balanced and well-established. It is telling that these requirements, which ensure quality of daily life, ranked higher than "proximity to workplace."

Let's look at another piece of data. The chart below shows responses regarding telework and remote work as countermeasures against COVID-19. Even after the pandemic subsides, 72.2% of respondents believe "telework, remote work, and similar work styles should become established."

While telework and home-based work represent a societal shift partly forced by the pandemic, they appear to be positively embraced by many beyond the context of COVID-19 countermeasures.

The desire for a certain quality in daily life—covering "safety," "convenience," "community," and "environment"—seems to align with the support for continuing telework. Those who have experienced telework likely find themselves looking around their homes and surroundings, inevitably becoming more aware of the actual quality of their lives.

For such individuals, telework and remote work—which allow them to choose their living space more freely without being tied to a workplace and to spend more time on their private lives—are likely transforming into something important, serving as an opportunity to enhance the quality of life. This seems to offer hints not only for changes in individual consciousness but also for rethinking the very nature of cities and towns themselves for the future.

Social initiatives supporting changing individual awareness and values

The above highlights distinctive findings from the "Quality of Society Annual Survey 2021" across three perspectives: "Society," "Family/Community," and "Individual."

From the societal perspective, while satisfaction with current systems and initiatives supporting daily life remains high, concerns about the future sustainability of society and communities amid declining birthrates and aging populations are evident. Conversely, from the Family and Community perspective, acceptance of new family structures has generally increased over time, indicating a search for updated close relationships. From the Individual perspective, the semi-compulsory societal shift to telework during the pandemic appears to have fostered support and inclination toward new ways of working and living.

Social initiatives are needed to support the evolving attitudes and values regarding family, work, and living arrangements, and to connect these to hope for the future.

2021 was a year in which the world sought new ways of society while coexisting with infectious diseases. The survey results reveal gradual yet steady changes in Japanese society. The Quality of Society Annual Survey will continue to monitor how "people" and "society" evolve, exploring pathways toward realizing a "society" where "people" can find meaning in life.

The data introduced in this article represents only a portion of the Quality of Society Annual Survey. We can provide various survey data from individual, family/community, and societal perspectives. Interested parties are welcome to contact us.

*Percentage composition figures are rounded to the second decimal place, so totals may not always add up to 100%.

[Survey Overview]
Title: "Quality of Society Annual Survey"
Survey Period:
1st Survey: December 11-18, 2019
2nd Survey: November 11–17, 2020
Third Survey: October 19–28, 2021
Survey Method: Internet survey
Target Area: Nationwide
Respondents: 12,000 men and women aged 18–74
Survey Company: Dentsu Macromill Insight, Inc.
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<Contact for Inquiries Regarding This Survey>
DENTSU SOKEN INC., Contact: Yamasaki, Hitō
E-mail: d-ii@dentsu.co.jp
URL: https://institute.dentsu.com
Future Prediction Support Lab Contacts: Ogura, Tachiki, Ono, Chiba
E-mail: future@dentsu.co.jp
URL: https://www.dentsu-fsl.jp
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