Abstract
Following the year 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic started, the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute conducted the second Public Opinion Survey on COVID-19 in 2021. This paper presents the findings. The analysis of the second survey focuses on whom the pandemic is taking a toll on as the impact of the pandemic prolongs.
Those feeling “uneasy” about the spread of infection have slightly decreased from the previous survey but still account for about 90%, with women having a higher percentage of those feeling “uneasy” than men. Although the percentage of overall respondents finding it “difficult to make ends meet because of decreased income” is as low as 15%, the figures are higher for certain occupations and employment statuses, with 39% for the self-employed and 24% for men in non-regular employment.
While those who felt stressed “more frequently” than before remain at the same level as in the previous survey (almost 70%), more women than men felt so. In addition, many of those with children under secondary school age answered that their stress had increased.
In terms of medical care, more than 80% of respondents felt anxiety about the “collapse of medical care” or whether they would be able to receive appropriate treatments when they are infected, which reveals the vulnerability of the Japanese medical system.
Triggered by the pandemic, new work styles such as online meetings are becoming more common and the world around us is going more and more online. Regular employees have a higher percentage of those who “have experienced” online meetings or teleworking than non-regular employees, and the figures are high for certain statuses and job types such as business owners and administrative jobs. As to “areas that would be desirable to promote online access,” while 70% of respondents cited “administrative procedures,” less than 30% cited “school classes.”
