Christmas and New Years are around the corner. this issue of I-News will focus on how respondents will spend their holiday seasons. The data consists of the survey results from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and now Hong Kong, which are geographically close one another, but interesting similarities and differences in culture can be found.
Japan
Korea
China
Sample Size: 690N
Sample Size: 468N
Sample Size: 477N
Gender Ratio (M:F): 50:50
Gender Ratio (M:F): 50:50
Gender Ratio (M:F): 50:50
Single/Married/Other: 40:56:4
Single/Married/Other: 53:45:2
Single/Married/Other: 42:54:4
Family Structure:
Family Structure:
Family Structure:
Living w/spouse: 56%
Living w/spouse: 41%
Living w/spouse: 53%
w/parents: 44%
w/parents: 37%
w/parents: 42%
w/children: 30%
w/children: 47%
w/children: 42%
w/relatives: 20%
w/relatives: 27%
w/relatives: 14%
alone: 9%
alone: 9%
alone: 7%
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Sample Size: 349N
Sample Size: 357N
Gender Ratio (M:F): 50:50
Gender Ratio (M:F): 50:50
Single/Married/Other: 57:40:3
Single/Married/Other: 64:29:7
Family Structure:
Family Structure:
Living w/spouse: 38%
Living w/spouse: 25%
w/parents: 28%
w/parents: 27%
w/children: 55%
w/children: 55%
w/relatives: 38%
w/relatives: 44%
alone: 3%
alone: 7%
Question 1: Do you celebrate Christmas? (Single Choice)
YES
NO
Japan
55%
45%
Korea
64%
36%
China
89%
11%
Hong Kong
91%
9%
Taiwan
79%
21%
1.) Only 55% of Japanese respondents answered that they celebrate Christmas.
2.) On the other hand, 91% and 89% of respondents in hong Kong and China respectively reported they do.
Question 2: Do you regard Christmas as a religious or commercialized holiday? (Single Choice)
1.) The majority of Japanese respondents answered either "commercialized" (57.7%) or "I do not know" (24.8%). It's notable that about half of Japanese teenagers said they do not know.
2.) In Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, 60-70% of respondents said "both" followed by "religious."
Question 3: With whom do you spend Christmas with? (Multiple Choice)
1.) Generally speaking, in all countries, respondents spend most time with family.
2.) Across the countries, single and younger respondents tend to spend time with their friends or boyfriends / girlfriends, whereas married and elder respondents tend to be with their families.
Question 4: With the person(s) you selected in Question 6, how do you spend Christmas day?
1.) In Korea, 24% of respondents go to church.
2.) Respondents in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan showed a similar preference. "dining out". "partying" and "go shopping" are the top 3 choices, regardless of age.
Question 5: Do you purchase Christmas presents for somebody? (Single Choice)
1.) About 70% of Japanese and Korean and about 90% of Chinese, Cantonese, and Taiwanese purchase Christmas presents.
2.) However only more Japanese teenagers reported that they do not purchase Christmas presents.
Question 6: Whom do you purchase Christmas presents for? (Multiple Choice)
1.) In all countries, "family" is the top priority whom respondents purchase presents for.
2.) Compared to Japan and Korea, more respondents in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong said they purchase Christmas presents for their friends regardless of age.
Question 7: How much do you spend on Christmas presents? (Single Choice)
1.) We did not find differences in genders in spending, except Taiwan, where males seem to spend more than females.
2.) In Hong Kong, the amount varies and there is no specific trend.
Question 8: What do you want for a Christmas present? (Multiple Choice)
1.) Shoes and accessories are the most popular items for Christmas presents that females desire in all countries.
2.) On the other hand, the presents males want most vary depending on the country."Book/CD/DVD/Game software" are most popular in Japan (27.1%) and China (34.8%). Korean respondents prefer "shoes and accessories" most (47.1%). "AD/Home electronics/PC/Game soft ware are most wanted items among males in Hong kong (53.8%) and Taiwan (34.8%).
Question 9: What is your main dish for Christmas Dinner? (Multiple Choice)
1.) Interestingly, respondents in each country prefer a different main entree on Christmas Day.
2.) Japanese distinctly prefer chicken (71.3%).
3.) Chinese, Taiwan and Korean respondents show a relatively similar preference. The top three dishes are seafood, beef and chicken.
4.) A large percent of respondents in Hong Kong claim that they eat turkey (40.9%).
Question 10: What are the cultural traditions during the Christmas season? (Multiple Choice)
1.) In Japan, the top 3 things to do during the Christmas season for all generations are "giving presents", "attending parties" and "decorating a Christmas tree".
2.) In all countries, except Japan, "sending Christmas cards" is in the top three.
3.) In Korea, many respondents (31.4%) answered that they go to church.
Question 11: How do you spend New Year's Eve? (Single Choice)
1.) In all countries, except Japan, many respondents tend to get together to count down and/or party/drink.
2.) As many as 80% of Japanese respondents claimed that they eat soba noodles, which is traditional in Japan.
Question 12: Who do you spend New Year eve with? (Multiple Choice)
1.) In Japan (90.1%) and Korea (81.7%), large majority of respondents spend time with their families.
2.) On the other hand, in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, they will often spend time with their friends or boyfriends / girlfriends, as well as their families.
Question 13: Do you give or receive New Year's monetary gifts? (Single Choice)
1.) In Japan and korea, about 70% of respondents claim that they give or receive New Year's monetary gifts.
2.) On the other hands, in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, about 30-35% of respondents do not.
Question 14: On average, per person, how much to you give or
recieve for a New Year's monetary gift? (Single Choice)
1.) In Japan, most respondents answered that they spend less than $100 per person.
2.) In Korea, about 50% of respondents, of all ages said they spend less than $30 per person.
3.) In Hong Kong, it is usual to spend up to 200 HKD per person for Christmas presents.