University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0764
Survey Title Social Stratification and Social Mobility Survey, 2005
Depositor 2015 SSM Survey Management Committee
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' on the SSJDA website.

- Apply to SSJDA. SSJDA's approval is required.
Educational Purpose Available for both research and instructional purposes.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
Access to Datasets Download
SSJDA Data Analysis SSJDA Data Analysis (online data analysis & metadata browsing system) is available for this data.
Summary The nationwide survey on Social Stratification and Social Mobility, also known as the SSM Survey, is one of the most traditional large-scale social surveys in Japan, and it has been carried out every ten years since the first survey in 1955 (by The Japan Sociological Society).

This 2005 survey is the sixth, and it was conducted by the SSM Survey Research Group of 2005.

The collapse of the lifetime employment system and the increasing number of part-timers (freeter) and part-timers/casual part-timers (arubaito) indicates that the labor market has become unstable. In this context, the current survey aims to reveal the relationship between fluidity and hierarchy/inequality of labor market in Japan. Also, with the background of increasing fluidity, to reveal the problems and issues of career (occupational careers) and how to think about one’s own career is of the main goal of this survey.

Also, this survey has been designed to make a reliable comparison between Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and even with Europe and the U.S. depending on question items, and it has been developed as an international comparative survey.

Questionnaires are divided into interview questionnaires and placement questionnaires, and there are two types of placement questionnaire: A and B.
Data Type quantitative research: micro data
Universe Male and female aged 20 to 69 years as of September 30th, 2005
Unit of Observation Individual
Sample Size Planned sample size: 14,140
Number of responses: 13,031
Number of valid responses: 5,742 (Response rate: 44.1%)
Date of Collection 2005-11-19 ~ 2005-12-25
Primary Survey: 2005/11/19 – 12/25
Secondary Survey: 2006/01/07 – 02/12
Third Survey: 2006/03/10 – 04/16
Time Period 2005 ~ 2005
Spatial Unit Japan
Japan
Sampling Procedure Probability: Systematic random
Probability: Stratified
Probability: Stratified: Proportional
Probability: Multistage
Two-stage stratified sampling (probability proportional to size)
Municipalities across Japan were stratified according to the size of population. Then, using voting districts as a primary sampling unit, 1,010 districts were selected. Finally, respondents were systematically sampled using voter registration lists.
Mode of Data Collection Self-administered questionnaire: Paper
Face-to-face interview and placement (self-administered) method
Investigator SSM Survey Research Group of 2005

For Sendai city and suburban sites (Total 10 sites), the head of this project and the core members of this study managed and conducted the survey with cooperation of research collaborators and graduate school students.

For the rest of 1,000 sites, Central Research Services, Inc. carried out the survey.

DOI 10.34500/SSJDA.0764
Sponsors (Funds) Grant-in-Aid for Specially Promoted Research by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Related Publications (by the Investigator) The 2005 SSM (Japanese Survey) Codebook, November 2007, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
The 2005 SSM (Japanese Survey) Basic Statistical Tables, November 2007, The 2005 SSM Research Group. 
Satoshi Miwa and Daisuke Kobayashi eds., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 1 Basic Analysis of 2005 SSM Survey in Japan, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Hiroshi Takada ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 2 Class Structure and Status Attainment, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Tsutomu Watanabe ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 3 Intergenerational Mobility and Intragenerational Mobility, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Kenji Agata ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 4 Work Style and Career Formation, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Akiyoshi Yonezawa ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 5 Structure of Educational Attainment, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Takayasu Nakamura ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 6 Educational Phenomena in a Stratified Society, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Gaku Doba ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 7 Publicness and Economic Inequality in Contemporary Japan, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Makoto Todoroki ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 8 Social Stratification and Social Psychology in Contemporary Japan, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Miki Nakai and Sugino Isamu eds., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 9 Social Stratification from Life Course and Lifestyle Perspective, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Tsuyoshi Sugano ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 10 Social Class and Disparities in Quality of Life, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Hiroshi Taromaru ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 11 Social Stratification and Social Mobility of Young Japanese, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Tadahiko Maeda ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 12 Problems in Measurement and Analysis in Social Surveys, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Shin Arita ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 13 Dynamics of Social Stratification in East Asia, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Hiroshi Ishida ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 14 Social Stratification and Social Mobility in Late-Industrializing Countries」The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Yoshimichi Sato ed., 2008, The 2005 SSM Research Series 15 Disparities, Social Fluidity, and Social Stratification, The 2005 SSM Research Group.
Yoshimichi Sato and Fumiaki Ojima eds., 2011, Contemporary Stratified Society 1 Disparity and Diversity, University of Tokyo Press.
Hiroshi Ishida, Hiroyuki Kondo and Keiko Nakao eds., 2011, Contemporary Stratified Society 2 Structure of Inequality and Mobility, University of Tokyo Press.
Yuriko Saito and Kazuto Misumi eds., 2011, Contemporary Stratified Society 3 Values and Attitudes in a Time of Destabilization, University of Tokyo Press.
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Face-to-face interview] [ Questionnaire ] [ Tables ]
[Placement (self-administered) method A] [ Questionnaire ] [ Tables ]
[Placement (self-administered) method B] [ Questionnaire ] [ Tables ]
Major Survey Items [Interview Questionnaire]
Note: (*) represents (employment-related status, industry, number of employees, job description, position title)
- Gender
- Age
- Current occupation
- (*), Work hours, pathway to getting the job, occupation of the person who introduced the job to respondent
- Job description/satisfaction level with income
- Work environment
- Whether or not working
- First occupation
- Period of service, (*), pathway to getting the job, period between graduating and getting employed, place of residence
- Employment history
- (*), reason for leaving workforce, period of service, increase or decrease of income
- Around 15 years old
- Number of siblings, property held, number of books at home, living conditions
- Junior high school (national/municipal/private)
- Grades in the third year of junior high school, desire to proceed to next stage of education
- Place of residence at the time of junior high school graduation
- Schools attended
- High school
- National/municipal/private, curriculum, graduated/dropped out, percentage of students who proceeded to the next stage of education
- Experience attending specialized training college or beyond
- By school type, study situation, period of study, national/municipal/private, department and major, school location
- Father and mother
- Living/deceased, year of birth, year of death, highest level of educational attainment, number of siblings
- Father’s occupation when respondent was 15 years old, primary job of father
- (*)
- Mother’s occupation when respondent was 15 years old
- Work status, (*)
- Marital status, age of marriage, age of divorce or separation
- Spouse
- Age, highest level of educational attainment, experience attending specialized training college
- Current job of spouse, job at the time of marriage
- (*)
- Number of children, ages
- Level of satisfaction with life in general
- Stratum identification (10 levels)
- Current living conditions
- Type of housing
- Annual personal income, spouse’s annual income, annual household income

[Placement Questionnaire A]
- Sense of unfairness
- Recognition of opportunity in Japanese society
- Principle of distribution respondent thinks desirable
- Thoughts on how things are in society
- Thoughts on how to engage in society
- Perception of inequality
- Roles and policies of the government and municipalities
- Stratum identification (5 level)
- Affiliation with groups and organizations
- Participation in social activities
- Political party supported, degree of positive feelings towards political party
- Revenue source for post-retirement years
- Annual income that respondent thinks deserved, comparison with current income
- Work experience, desired way of working, change of income respondent expected at the time of the first job, desired way of working in the future, change of income in the future
- Percentage of non-regular employees at workplace, percentage of female workers, possibility of promotion
- Attitude to gender roles
- Attitude to children’s education, etc.
- Thoughts about general opinions
- Thoughts about people in society
- Number of household family members, relationship
- Presence of children currently attending schools, monthly expenses on education besides school
- Property held
- Total amount of assets
- Presence of inheritance/gifts from parents, its amount
- Amount of money respondent thinks necessary for a comfortable life, comparison with the current household income
- Guests invited to home during the past year
- Person respondent consulted about concerns during the past year
- Person respondent can probably seek help during job search or job change
- Things respondent focuses on at work

[Placement Questionnaire B]
- Frequency of cultural activities
- Participation in cultural activities, etc.
- Means of shopping, etc.
- Lifestyle
- Things respondent is cutting back on to save money
- Property held
- Number of household family members, relationship
- Presence of children currently attending school, monthly expenses on education besides school
- Total amount of assets
- Presence of inheritance/gifts from parents, its amount
- Age when respondent first met spouse, how respondent met spouse
- Guests invited to home during the past year
- Person respondent consulted about concerns during the past year
- Person respondent can probably seek help during job search or job change
- Experience of education outside of school during elementary/junior high school
- High school life
- Job hunting as student
- Percentage of non-regular employees at respondent’s workplace, percentage of female workers, level of awareness at work, possibility of promotion
- Whether respondent wishes children to get the same job
- Qualifications, age of acquiring the qualifications
- Desirable job
- Stratum identification (5 levels)
-Political party supported, degree of positive feelings towards political party
- Health condition
- Life habits
- Stress in daily life
- Presence of problems due to health condition
- Attitude to gender roles
- Attitude to children’s education, etc.
- Attitude to human relations
- Change of living conditions
- Compared to10 years ago, compared to when respondent was 15 years old, 5 years from now
Date of Release 2011/08/31
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Equality, inequality and social exclusion
Social and occupational mobility
Social behaviour and attitudes
Topics in SSJDA Society/Culture
Version 1 : 2011-08-31
Notes for Users Variable and value labels are written in Japanese.