I am not surprised by these results. Japanese culture has long encouraged valuing group thinking for the good of all. Americans value individualism and are inspired by entrepreneurship. Of course exceptions to the norm exist in both cultures.
Yes, plus the effect of peer pressure may have had a significant influence or bias on the results. It is also unclear whether the respondents thought that their teachers would have access to their answers to each question.
Nothing new here. I was gobsmacked by this phenomenon when i came here and started teaching back in 2001. I was also shocked to discover that, among my junior high and high school students, sleeping was a very popular hobby. This society kills children's motivation and that is among the myriad reasons why I cant have our daughter here beyond elementary school. That being said, having been born in San Francisco in 2019, I couldn't have her spend her formative years in America either. Hence our return to Japan when she was a year and a half old. But its most definitely back to the US after elementary school.
Thanks for reading and for adding your comments. Yes, the period between the end of elementary school and the beginning of middle school seems to be an inflection point. It would be fascinating to compare the Japanese survey results with data from other countries. I can imagine that the results of a similar survey conducted in San Francisco would be vastly different from what has been reported in Japan.
Yes, this article cites a survey that identified the fact that about 60% want two kids in the future. There are, however, many factors that dissuade young parents from having children in Japan. Inadequate resources for childcare tend to top the list. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000059.000087626.html
I am not surprised by these results. Japanese culture has long encouraged valuing group thinking for the good of all. Americans value individualism and are inspired by entrepreneurship. Of course exceptions to the norm exist in both cultures.
Pam Baran
Yes, plus the effect of peer pressure may have had a significant influence or bias on the results. It is also unclear whether the respondents thought that their teachers would have access to their answers to each question.
Nothing new here. I was gobsmacked by this phenomenon when i came here and started teaching back in 2001. I was also shocked to discover that, among my junior high and high school students, sleeping was a very popular hobby. This society kills children's motivation and that is among the myriad reasons why I cant have our daughter here beyond elementary school. That being said, having been born in San Francisco in 2019, I couldn't have her spend her formative years in America either. Hence our return to Japan when she was a year and a half old. But its most definitely back to the US after elementary school.
Thanks for reading and for adding your comments. Yes, the period between the end of elementary school and the beginning of middle school seems to be an inflection point. It would be fascinating to compare the Japanese survey results with data from other countries. I can imagine that the results of a similar survey conducted in San Francisco would be vastly different from what has been reported in Japan.
Very interesting, thanks.
Are there any similar surveys on whether men and women want to have kids? Somehow Japan needs to better incentivize people to have kids.
Yes, this article cites a survey that identified the fact that about 60% want two kids in the future. There are, however, many factors that dissuade young parents from having children in Japan. Inadequate resources for childcare tend to top the list. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000059.000087626.html