A survey on consumer patterns reveals that information-related equipment is making a rapid advance into Japanese households, with the ownership of word processors increasing strikingly. In addition, the survey shows that an increasing number of households is shifting to larger and higher-function models for their replacement of household electric appliances.
The survey, which is carried out once every five years by the Management and Coordination Agency, was conducted in October 1994 this time. It targeted about 55,000 households with two or more members and about 4,700 single-member households, asking questions about their ownership of 60 main consumer durables and their acquisitions over the previous year.
Rapid Increase in Ownership of Information-Related Equipment
The survey revealed that the diffusion rate for word processors in households with two or more members jumped from 25.1% in the last survey five years ago to 43.7% and that the diffusion rate for cordless phones, which were not included in the last survey, reached 43.7%. In addition, the diffusion rate reached 16.6% for personal computers (12.4% in the last survey) and 9.6% for facsimile machines (not included in the last survey). Purchases during the previous year were especially notable among single-female households, among which the number of word processors and personal computers rose over the last survey by 2.8 times and 3.2 times, respectively. As a consequence of the social advancement of women, the number of people purchasing such equipment for work purposes appears to be on the rise.
Diffusion of Higher-Function Products
Regarding household electric appliances, which already have achieved a high diffusion rate, the diffusion rate for fully automatic electric washing machines in households with two or more members increased from 34.7% in the last survey to 55.4%, surpassing the diffusion rate for two-tub models for the first time. The same trend toward higher functions can be seen in air conditioners: The diffusion rate for models with combined heating and cooling functions rose strikingly from 34.7% to 57.3%. As the prices of household electric appliances have come tumbling down, consumers appear to be shifting to larger and higher-function products.
As for automobiles, the diffusion rate increased from 76.6% to 82.1%. Within this trend, perhaps as a vestige of the so-called bubble economy of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the diffusion rate for small passenger cars of 1,000-1,500 cc declined from 29.5% to 24.2%, while that for ordinary passenger cars of 2,000-3,000 cc increased from 3.4% to 13.1%.
| Diffusion rate | ||
|---|---|---|
| (percentage of households) | ||
| Item | 1989 | 1995 |
| Television | 98.4 | 99.3 |
| Microwave oven | 72.9 | 89.5 |
| Automobile | 76.6 | 82.1 |
| Air conditioner | 64.8 | 79.3 |
| convection heater/cooler | 34.7 | 57.3 |
| Compact disc radio casset player | 31.5 | 68.2 |
| Electric carpet | 43.6 | 64.0 |
| Refrigerator (300 liters or more) | 62.9 | 63.6 |
| Washing machine (fully automatic) | 34.7 | 55.4 |
| Codeless phones (with handset) | - | 43.7 |
| Word processor | 25.1 | 43.7 |
| Video camera | 17.5 | 34.0 |
| Sofa (excluding sofas with sets of furniture) | 14.5 | 24.3 |
| Personal computer | 12.4 | 16.6 |
(Note: Dash means not covered by survey.)
(The above article, edited by Japan Echo Inc., is based on domestic Japanese news sources. It is offered for reference purposes and does not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.)