University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0513
Survey Title The Questionnaire Survey on Work and Life of Workers, 2004.10
Depositor JTUC Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards
(Former Name:Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards)
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' at SSJDA website.

- Apply to SSJDA. SSJDA's approval required.
Educational Purpose Available for both research and instructional purposes.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
Access to Datasets Download
SSJDA Data Analysis Not available
Summary This survey aims to clarify economic, employment, and living trends as seen from the perspective of workers and to obtain basic information with which to consider policy issues from the perspective of improving employment and quality of life. This is done by periodically exploring workers’ attitudes toward economic trends in Japan and their current state of work and living.

The survey has been conducted regularly in April and October of every year since the first survey in April 2001, and this is the eighth survey. Previous surveys are archived in the SSJDA.

Survey topics this time include working hours, situation of unpaid overtime (so-called service overtime), and voting behavior in the election of House of Councillors in July 2004.

This survey clarifies that the economy is improving despite a sense of slow-down, and that consumer attitudes are also improving. On the other hand, wages have not recovered; recovery measures based on staff reduction and anxiety about unemployment are in decline; and furthermore, the reduction in unpaid overtime has not necessarily reduced sufficiently over the past year.
Data Type quantitative research
quantitative research: micro data
Universe Private company employees in their 20s to 50s who live in the Greater Tokyo Area or Kansai region
Unit of Observation Individual
Sample Size
Number of questionnaires distributed  Valid responses  Valid response rate
      900    794    88.2%

Please note that while the target subjects of this survey are “people employed in private companies,” responses included the ones from unemployed people. This was due to changes in some people’s work status between the time of access panel registration and the time of survey. After excluding 34 responses from unemployed people, the number of valid responses was 760 and the rate of valid responses was 84.4%
Date of Collection 2004-10-08 ~ 2004-10-18
2004/10/08 (Fri) – 10/18 (Mon)
Time Period 2004 ~ 2004
Spatial Unit kanto
kinki
The Greater Tokyo Area: 64.9%, Kansai region: 35.1%
Sampling Procedure Other
The sample allocation criteria were prepared taking into account the population size of private employees in the Greater Tokyo Area tan Area and Kansai region and in consideration of the distribution of employees by gender/age group of the “2002 (Heisei 14) Employment Status Survey.”

Based on these allocation criteria, 900 people who live in the Greater Tokyo Area/Kansai region were extracted from the access panel of INTAGE Inc. (approximately 220,000 people nationwide).
Mode of Data Collection Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
Questionnaires for self-administered mail survey were distributed
Investigator Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards, survey carried out by INTAGE Inc.
DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0513
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator) Questionnaire
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation
Major Survey Items Questionnaire items:

(1) Economic trends and business situation at place of employment
Current Japanese economy compared with one year ago, reasons for feeling the economic climate is good or bad, Japanese economic forecast one year later, work status, current business situation at place of employment (performance)

(2) Restructuring at the place of employment and unemployment concerns
Implementation of recession policies in the past year (staff reduction, downsizing of a business division, restrictions on overtime, temporary transfers, relocations, wage cuts), anti-recession policies implemented, anxiety about work and about deteriorating working conditions, changes in the situation that are currently occurring or could occur in the future at the place of employment, experiences at work and regarding working conditions, desire to change place to work and reasons, measures for self-protection against unemployment, anxiety about becoming unemployed in next one year, reemployment under the same conditions after unemployment

(3) Income, consumption and living conditions (comparison with one year ago/forecast one year later)
Increase or decrease in personal wage income, increase or decrease in household income, reasons for increase or decrease in household consumption and reasons for the change, sense of fluctuation in prices, changes in household living conditions

(4) Level of life satisfaction
Satisfaction level with daily life (income, assets, living environment, leisure/spare time, work, inner happiness, life in general).

(5) Working hours
Weekly scheduled working hours, non-scheduled working hours, number of non-scheduled working hours compared with usual, reason working non-scheduled hours

(6) Overtime allowance
Eligibility for overtime allowance, working hours system being implemented, method of determining the time when overtime allowance is paid, percentage of overtime allowance that is actually paid, reason for unpaid overtime (so-called service overtime), efforts to reduce unpaid overtime work compared to one year ago, effective measures to reduce unpaid overtime

(7) Elections
Political party respondent supported in House of Councillors election (July this year), encouragement received during House of Councillors election, voting status in House of Councillors election, political party voted for in elections, political party voted for in proportional representation election, reasons for choosing the party voted for, way of filling in the ballot in proportional representation election, situation before the voting date of people who abstained, reason for abstention

Face items:
Gender, age, marital status, highest level of educational attainment, annual household income, respondent’s annual income, primary breadwinner, existence of earners other than respondent himself or herself, employer’s industry, size by number of employees, occupation type, years of continuous employment, experience of changing jobs, labor union (existence, membership status, intention of becoming a member),whether labor union is necessary

In addition, the access panel registration information was used for area of residence, household composition, type of residence, and number of years at residence. 
Date of Release 2007/03/01
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Economic conditions and indicators
Employment
Labour relations/conflict
Working conditions
Political behaviour and attitudes
Topics in SSJDA Employment/Labor
Society/Culture
Version 1 : 2007-03-01
Notes for Users Variable and value labels are written in Japanese.