Asahi Shimbun Regular Public Opinion Poll (1/21/2011)
Dates Conducted
January 19 and 20, 2011
Released
January 21, 2011 (Morning edition of the Asahi Shimbun).
Methodology
The poll was conducted by telephone on January 15 and 16 with voters from across Japan, whose telephone numbers were selected by a computer at random. Subjects were selected using a three-stage random sampling method (the Asahi RDD). Decimals were rounded up. Unless otherwise noted, the numbers in < > are ratio proportional to the percentage of the whole and the numbers in ( ) are the results from a poll conducted on January 15 and 16, 2011.
Key Issues
- Support for the Kan cabinet
- Social Security and taxes
- Ichiro Ozawa
Disclaimer
The Mansfield Foundation is responsible for the translation of this Asahi Shimbun poll, subject to the Mansfield Foundation Terms of Use
Q1. Do you support or not support the Kan cabinet?
| Support | 20% (26) |
| Do not support | 62% (54) |
SQ1. Why? (Please choose one from the following. On the left are the 20% that answered “Support,” and on the right are the 62% that answered “Do not support.”)
| The prime minister is Mr.Kan |
24% <5>
|
3%<2>
|
| The administration is centered around the Democratic Party of Japan |
29% <6>
|
8%<5>
|
| Policies |
25% <5>
|
29% <18>
|
| Ability to get things done |
8%<2>
|
57% <36>
|
Q2. Which political party do you currently support?
| Democratic Party of Japan | 19% (21) |
| Liberal Democratic Party | 18% (18) |
| New Komeito | 3% (3) |
| Japan Communist Party | 2% (1) |
| Social Democratic Party | 1% (0) |
| Your Party | 2% (3) |
| The People’s New Party | 0% (0) |
| The Sunrise Party of Japan | 0% (0) |
| The New Party Nippon | 0% (0) |
| New Renaissance Party | 0% (0) |
| Other party | 0% (0) |
| Do not support any party | 50% (47) |
| No answer/Do not know | 5% (7) |
Q3. Do you think that the House of Representatives should be dissolved and general elections should be held as soon as possible? Do you think it is not important to do this as soon as possible? Answers in parenthesis reflect the December 11 and 12th 2010 poll.
| A General Election should be held | 39%(34) |
| There is no need to immediately hold an election | 49%(53) |
Q4. If the general election were being held today, which party do you think you would vote for in the proportional representation section?
| Democratic Party of Japan | 19% (23) |
| Liberal Democratic Party | 25% (27) |
| New Komeito | 5% (3) |
| Japan Communist Party | 3% (3) |
| Social Democratic Party | 1% (1) |
| Your Party | 6% (7) |
| The People’s New Party | 0% (0) |
| The Sunrise Party of Japan | 0% (0) |
| The New Party Nippon | 0% (0) |
| New Renaissance Party | 0% (0) |
| Other party | 1% (0) |
| No answer/Do not know | 40% (36) |
Q5. Do you believe it is good to continue with an administration centered on the Democratic Party of Japan? Numbers in parenthesis reflect the November 13th and 14th 2010 poll.
| It is good to continue with a DPJ administration | 22(32) |
| I do not think it is good to continue with a DPJ administration | 58(53) |
Q6. Do you want Mr. Kan to continue as Prime Minister? Do you want him to quit soon?
| Want him to continue as Prime Minister | 30% |
| Want him to quit soon | 49% |
Q7. Within the DPJ, Diet members close to Ichiro Ozawa have moved toward calling for Prime Minister Kan’s resignation. Do you agree or disagree with these moves?
| Agree with these moves | 19% |
| Disagree with these moves | 69% |
Q8. Do you believe the current political situation was brought about by problems in how Prime Minister Kan conducts politics? Do you think there are problems with the opposition parties’ stances?
| Prime Minister Kan’s way of conducting politics | 24% |
| The opposition parties’ stances | 31% |
Q9. Do you agree with the Kan cabinet’s effort to end the reliance on federal bureaucrats? Do you disagree with this effort?
| Agree with the effort | 40% |
| Disagree with the effort | 42% |
Q10. The DPJ has made plans to revise the manifesto they released for the Lower House elections two years ago. Do you agree with this move? Do you disagree?
| Agree | 54% |
| Disagree | 36% |
Q11. Do you agree with raising the consumption tax? Do you oppose?
| Agree | 46% (42) |
| Oppose | 45% (48) |
Q12. There is an opinion that a rise in the consumption tax is necessary to fund social security. Do you agree with or oppose this opinion?
| Agree | 53% |
| Oppose | 35% |
Q13. There is an opinion that if there was a thorough reduction of administrative waste there would be no need to immediately increase consumption taxes. Do you agree with this opinion? Do you disagree?
| Agree | 64% |
| Disagree | 23% |
Q14. Do you have expectations for the Kan cabinet’s effort to jointly reform social security and taxes? Do you not expect it to succeed?
| Expect it to succeed | 38% |
| Do not expect it to succeed | 49% |
Q15. The DPJ’s Ichiro Ozawa is currently involved in a political funding scandal and a mandatory indictment order has been issued. The DPJ has taken a policy of suspending Mr. Ozawa from the party until the end of the trial. Do you think this punishment is appropriate? Too harsh? Too lax?
| Appropriate | 52% |
| Too harsh | 9% |
| Too lax | 28% |
Q16. Mr. Ozawa claims that because the forced trial decided by the Committees for the Inquest of Prosecution and the prosecutors’ litigation are completely different, it is not necessary for him to resign from the lower house or leave the DPJ. Do you think his claim is understandable or do you not think so?
| I think his claim is understandable | 17% |
| I do not think his claim is understandable | 72% |