Labour Force Statistics Office, Population Census Division, Statistical Survey Department
Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

In October 2021, the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will conduct the “2021 Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities” (hereinafter referred to as the “2021 Survey”).  In the 2021 Survey, as will be described later, the “Degree of Hindrance in Daily Life” will be added to the survey items as part of the statistics on persons with disabilities.  We ask you, the readers of this article, “New Normalization,” and/or concerned parties, to respond to them should you be requested to participate in the survey.

1. Objective of the Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities

This is a statistical survey conducted by the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, based on the Statistics Act (Act No. 53 of 2007).  The aim of the survey is to obtain basic data to clarify the actual state of people’s social life in terms of how they allocate daily living hours and leisure activities during the past year.  This survey has been conducted every five years since 1976, and this is the tenth survey.

The feature of this survey is that it specifically questions what and how much the respondents did in a day in terms of time, and the results will be published as statistics.  As the environment and socio-economic conditions surrounding people’s lives are changing significantly, it is increasingly expected that a statistical survey would clarify how Japanese people spend their days.

The results of the Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities have been used in various ways.  Stated below are mainly used as reference indicators and numerical targets for gender equality, measures against the declining birth rate, and work-life balance, and also as the indicators for SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals):

• Housework-related time; childcare and housework-related time for husbands with children under 6 years old
• Commuting time, rest and relaxation time
• Annual rate of participation in volunteer activities, hobbies/entertainment, etc.

2. Outline of the 2021 Survey

The 2021 Survey will be conducted on October 20, 2021.  However, the survey on the allocation of living hours will be conducted for two consecutive days out of nine days from October 16 to October 24, 2021, depending on each designated survey area.

The target of the survey is about 194,000 household members aged 10 and over, living in about 91,000 randomly selected households.

3. Main Points of the 2021 Survey

It is said that our lifestyle has changed significantly due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid spread of information communication devices.  Moreover, as the birth rate is declining, the labour shortage becomes apparent; and as the aging of the population is progressing, the number of people needing long-term care is increasing.  Thus, it is hoped that there would be a harmonization between work and private life whereby people can choose from a variety of working styles.

It is for this reason that the 2021 Survey items will be updated.  In addition to getting a good grasp of the actual situation of gender equality and work-life balance, for future policy development, we also need to aim at properly comprehending:

① the effects of health problems and long-term care on social life, and

② the effects of lifestyle changes on living hours.  The survey updates are:

(1) Addition of Items on “Chronic Diseases and Long-term Health Problems” and the “Degree of Hindrance in Daily Life” to the questionnaire:

The addition of these new survey items will promote the development of the statistics on persons with disabilities required by the “Basic Plan concerning the Development of Official Statistics” (Cabinet decision on June 2, 2020).  Setting the survey items by referring to the guidelines of the European Statistical Office will also improve the international comparability of the survey results.

This makes it possible to know the difference in living hours between those who have difficulty in daily life due to their physical and mental conditions, including persons with disabilities and the elderly, and those who do not.

(2) Obtaining More Detailed Information on the Status of Long-term Care:

In the 2021 Survey, we will research the state of long-term care received by survey respondents.  Up until the last survey (2016), we had surveyed whether there were people in the household receiving care support from outside of their homes.

With this update, it will be possible to aggregate the living hours of people actually receiving long-term care in general, and not limited to external support, so that the status of care given in an aging society may be obtained more accurately.

(3) Knowing the Allocation of Living hours under Teleworking:

In the 2021 Survey, when asking about the allocation of living hours, the choices of answers to the questions relative to the mode of work will be changed from the previous “Working from home” to “Teleworking (working from home)” and “Teleworking (other than home).”

It seems that working styles are diversifying, such as an increase in teleworking due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  With these updates, it will be possible to obtain the allocation of living hours due to such diversification.

(4) Knowing the Close Link between Daily Life and Information Communication Devices, such as Smartphones:

In the 2021 Survey, the time zone survey on the use of smartphones, personal computers, etc. will be changed from the 3-hour units in the previous survey to 15-minute units.  Moreover, in the Questionnaire (Form B) distributed to some households, the choices to the questions on the use of the information communication devices have been changed from the previous “Smartphones, personal computers, etc.” to “Smartphones” and “Personal computers, etc.”

This will allow us to understand more accurately how such rapidly spreading devices, especially smartphones, are closely linked to the running of people’s daily lives.

4. Requesting Cooperation to Respond to the 2021 Survey

As discussed in this article, the 2021 Survey has considerable significance from the perspective of social welfare.  We would like to ask our readers for their understanding and cooperation, and we would appreciate it if you could help disseminate the information on this survey to the people around you.

The households to be surveyed are randomly selected from the designated survey area.  In the survey area, the public relations poster will be posted on the bulletin boards in the area from August.  In September the leaflets will be distributed to all the households in the survey area to inform them of the survey.  Around October, the surveyors will visit the households selected for the survey.  We ask you for your kind cooperation.

In this survey, you can also answer on the Internet.  You can use not only PCs but also smartphones and tablets for your convenience.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues.  There is concern that this situation will continue even to the time of the 2021 Survey conducted in October this year.  We, in the Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, will proceed with the survey in cooperation with prefectures while thoroughly implementing infection prevention measures.  We appreciate your kind understanding and cooperation.