Abstract
This paper presents people’s actual usage and attitudes towards media such as television and online videos based on the findings from the 2021 Nationwide Public Opinion Survey on Attitudes Towards Media conducted by mail method from October through December 2021.The survey on the use of media finds a decrease in those watching television (real-time viewing) “almost every day,” from the previous year’s 82% to 76%, revealing that although television remains to be used by many people, a lower percentage of people do so on a daily basis. When asked about the use of media services by objective, the highest percentages of respondents cited “television” for acquiring “news” in all age groups. However, for “entertainment,” the highest percentage of people citing “television” is limited to those in their 50s and older, and many of those in their 30s and younger cited “YouTube videos.”Regarding the usefulness of media, when asked about the useful media for “becoming interested in something I had not been so before,” “television” marked the highest with 29% of the entire respondents, but “YouTube videos” (28%) exceeded “television” (17%) among those aged 16 through 29. It is indicated that young people feel that “YouTube” is not only a service for watching what interests them but also functioning to expand their interests into the sphere that they were indifferent to before.Those viewing TV programs on devices other than television, such as smartphones, were asked the reason for that; the highest percentage (48%) of the entire respondents cited “to watch the content any time I like,” notably with as high as 57% among those aged 16 through 29. In the context of time sense, around 70% of those in their 50s and younger watch TV programs as recorded or online at their convenience even though they can be viewed in real-time, which shows a growing preference for time-shifted viewing that fit each life. These results reflect people’s attitude that they want to use their time wisely.
