Japan’s first coronavirus infection was confirmed in January 2020, and the virus is still spreading with no sign of slowing down. NHK conducted a public opinion survey from November through December 2020 to investigate how the spread of COVID-19 had changed people’s lives and attitudes. This paper reports the results of the survey including the following key findings.
– The spread of COVID-19 affected the daily lives of more than 80% of the respondents. One of the most notable impacts was on “outings,” with 80% answering the number of outings decreased during the state of emergency, and 60% at the time of the survey, which shows a prolonged impact of the pandemic.
– Those who had their income “reduced” account for 40% among non–regular workers, which is higher than among regular workers (around 30%). The level of impact differed depending on the employment status.
– Almost 70% felt stressed “more frequently” than before the COVID-19 pandemic, with women feeling more stressed than men.
– As for living the new normal, which was advocated for preventing infection, 99%–almost everyone–practiced “wearing a mask and washing hands.” Nearly 90% felt “nervous” about someone without a mask.
– Triggered by the pandemic, online activities and services such as “online meeting” have been spreading. About 30% hope “online medical care,” which still have few users, will become more commonly available.
– More than 70% think the pandemic–triggered changes in daily lives have brought about “more negative impacts than positive ones” while over 20% find “more positive impacts than negative ones.”