Survey of 18, 19, and 20-year-olds: "I will vote": 50.0% of 18-year-olds, 48.0% of 19-year-olds, and 39.3% of 20-year-olds

2016.01.06 Press Releases
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.

―18歳選挙権の実施で、今年初めて投票を経験するのは18歳・19歳・20歳に。 ～18歳・19歳・20歳の今、最も悩んでる事は1位：今後の未来、2位：お金、3位：勉強～―

Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that it has conducted an online survey, the "T Survey," targeting 601 T members, both male and female, aged 18 to 20, who use T cards.

■Digest of the survey on attitudes of 18, 19 and 20 year olds
●How do you intend to vote in the national elections this summer?
　Overall, 45.8% plan to vote
　50.0% of 18-year-olds, 48.0% of 19-year-olds, and 39.3% of 20-year-olds

●What are your thoughts on voting rights at 18 years old?
　Overall, 46.8% were in favor.
　58.0% of 18-year-olds, 44.5% of 19-year-olds, and 37.8% of 20-year-olds

●What are your current concerns?
　Overall, the top three were "future," "money," and "study."
　18 years old: 1st place "future", 2nd place "study", 3rd place "money"
　19 years old: 1st place: "Future", 2nd place: "Money", 3rd place: "Study"
　20-year-olds: 1st place: "Future", 2nd place: "Work/employment", 3rd place: "Money"

●How do you intend to vote in the national elections this summer?
　Overall, 45.8% plan to vote
　50.0% of 18-year-olds, 48.0% of 19-year-olds, and 39.3% of 20-year-olds

In June of last year, a law was passed amending the Public Offices Election Act and other laws, lowering the voting age to 18 starting this year. Therefore, in this T Survey, we conducted a survey of 601 men and women aged 18, 19, and 20, including their thoughts on the right to vote at 18 years old.
First, when asked whether they would vote in the national election scheduled for July this year and why, 45.8% overall answered "I plan to vote," 10.8% "I don't plan to vote," 15.8% "I don't know," and 27.6% "Other/prefer not to answer," meaning that nearly half plan to vote. Looking at these results by age, 50.0% of 18-year-olds, 48.0% of 19-year-olds, and 39.3% of 20-year-olds responded that they "plan to vote."

・It's an opportunity to be involved in policy as a citizen (20-year-old woman, Okinawa Prefecture)
- I think it will have an indirect impact on my future life, so if I have the right to vote, I thought I should go (male, 18 years old, Yamaguchi Prefecture)
・Voting is a citizen's duty, and I think it's very important to think about the future and cast your vote (male, 19 years old, Tokyo)
・If I don't go and things don't go as planned, it's not cool to complain, so I'd rather go than end up like that (19-year-old female, Aomori Prefecture)


・The outcome will not change whether I cast my vote or not (18-year-old male/Yamagata Prefecture)
- I haven't changed my residence card and I don't have time to go back to my hometown (18-year-old female, Mie Prefecture)


-I still don't really understand politics, so I'm afraid that my vote will decide the outcome. (19-year-old female from Fukuoka Prefecture)
- I am thinking of voting now, but my values regarding voting in that election may change by the time of the voting. (19-year-old male from Hiroshima Prefecture)
-I want to know about politics properly and I don't think I can vote irresponsibly. (18-year-old female from Ehime Prefecture)


●What are your thoughts on voting rights at 18 years old?
　Overall, 46.8% were in favor.
　58.0% of 18-year-olds, 44.5% of 19-year-olds, and 37.8% of 20-year-olds

Next, we asked respondents about their thoughts on whether they were in favor of giving voting rights to those "18 years of age or older." Overall, 46.8% answered "in favor," 20.3% answered "against," and 32.9% answered "neither" or "neither," meaning that just under half were in favor of giving voting rights to 18-year-olds. Looking at the results by age, the percentage of those who answered "in favor" was 58.0% for 18-year-olds, 44.5% for 19-year-olds, and 37.8% for 20-year-olds, showing that the younger the age group, the more likely they were to support the bill.

・I think that 18-year-olds have the ability to think about Japan (18-year-old female, Tokyo)
-I think it's a good thing that high school students have the opportunity to think about politics. (18-year-old female, Tokyo)
-In Japan today, with its declining birthrate and aging population, the young population is small, so I think lowering the voting age would be effective in increasing the number of young voters and conveying their opinions to politics. (20-year-old male from Gunma Prefecture)
・In many developed countries, voting rights are given to people aged 18 and over (male, 19, Kanagawa Prefecture)
・Voting from a wider age group may lead to a change in political attitudes, and Japanese politics may move in a positive direction (male, 18 years old, Kanagawa Prefecture)
・A country is a collection of history. Since young people have more years to lead the chaotic times ahead, it is only natural that their voices and power be reflected. (19-year-old female, Kanagawa Prefecture)


・18 years old is still a child (20-year-old man/Hokkaido)
・Even as I get older, I still don't understand it, so I wonder how much 18-year-olds can understand (18-year-old male/Yamaguchi Prefecture)
・I am strongly influenced by those around me, and I don't think the opinions of the younger generation are well taken into account (male, 19 years old, Nagano Prefecture)
・When I was 18, I was still relatively ignorant of the world, so I was worried about the voting rights being reduced to 18 years of age (20-year-old male/Hyogo Prefecture)


・There are advantages, but I think there are also disadvantages. (19-year-old female from Kumamoto Prefecture)
・I think it's good that we can now hear the opinions of a wide range of generations. However, with the public becoming increasingly indifferent to politics, lowering the voting age is unlikely to improve voter turnout or the quality of elections. (19-year-old female from Shiga Prefecture)
・People have different interests in politics, so I don't think age has much to do with it (18-year-old male, Tokyo)


●What are your current concerns?
　Overall, the top three were "future," "money," and "study."
　18 years old: 1st place "future", 2nd place "study", 3rd place "money"
　19 years old: 1st place: "Future", 2nd place: "Money", 3rd place: "Study"
　20-year-olds: 1st place: "Future", 2nd place: "Work/employment", 3rd place: "Money"

There were a variety of opinions expressed regarding the right to vote at age 18, but when asked what concerns young people aged 18, 19, and 20 are currently having, the top answer overall was "the future" (30.4%), followed by "money" (14.5%) and "studying" (13.1%). Looking at the results by age, for 18-year-olds, the top answer was "future" (29.5%), followed by "study" (17.5%) and "money" (13.0%); for 19-year-olds, the top answer was "future" (27.0%), followed by "money" (17.0%) and "study" (14.0%); and for 20-year-olds, the top answer was "future" (34.8%), followed by "work/employment" (15.4%) and "money" (13.4%). While there are differences between each age group, "future" came in first place across all age groups. In addition, when the same survey was conducted on 20-year-olds in 2014, "the future" and "money" (20.4%) ranked first, and compared to that time, worries about "the future" have increased by 14.8 points, while worries about "money" have decreased by 7 points.

■ Survey Overview
Survey method: Internet (T Survey)
Survey period: Friday, December 11, 2015 to Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Survey area: Nationwide
Survey subjects: 18, 19, and 20 year old men and women (T members)
Number of samples:

■What is the T Survey?
This is one of the largest online research services in Japan, with 9 million T Card users registered. All members who complete research and surveys will be rewarded with T Points. In addition, the responses you provide will be processed as statistical information and used by companies and media outlets for product development and service planning. Each and every opinion we receive from our members will be an important key point in creating a bright future for people, companies, and Japan.
CCC offers marketing solutions to companies, from planning surveys through "T Surveys" to compiling and analyzing them as a research program tailored to their needs.

Materials related to this matter

Survey of 18, 19, and 20-year-olds: "I will vote": 50.0% of 18-year-olds, 48.0% of 19-year-olds, and 39.3% of 20-year-olds

Inquiries regarding this matter
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.
Public Relations Officer: Ando
TEL: 03-6800-4464