The Life of the Japanese in the Mirror of Statistics and Public Opinion Polls

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of the level and quality of life of the Japanese. Data from two sources of information are analyzed and compared – official statistical data and opinion polls conducted by private and public organizations. The statistics show that, according to a number of indicators (the level of per capita income, household provision of housing and durable goods, life expectancy, distribution of income and wealth among the population, etc.), Japan is among the highly developed nations, providing the absolute majority of its citizens with a high level of material well-being. Although, in general, the data of sociological surveys, which represent subjective assessments by the Japanese of their financial situation, do not refute this thesis, in some aspects they significantly correct it, showing that not all citizens of the country are satisfied with their standard of living and some of its components. While some of these assessments seem controversial, this does not diminish their importance as a valuable source of information. These assessments, in particular, show that Japanese society is far from being as homogeneous as it is commonly believed, that it consists of groups that differ not only in income and wealth, but also in lifestyle, in their ideas about the value of work, about the importance of certain aspects of life, about social justice, etc. In other words, by complementing statistical indicators, these assessments help us to get closer to understanding how diverse and complex the life of contemporary Japanese society is.

Keywords

• standard of living
• income
• indicators of material well-being
• criteria of middle-class life
• subjective assessments