September 30, 2020 Release of FY2019 Survey Report on Usage Time of Information and Communications Media and Information Behavior

The Institute for Information and Communications Policy(IICP) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) surveyed on the usage time of information and communications media and information behavior for fiscal year 2019 as joint research with Professor HASHIMOTO Yoshiaki* at the Graduate School of Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, the University of Tokyo. IICP recently completed a survey report.
* Professor HASHIMOTO Yoshiaki has been appointed as a professor at the School of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, since April, 2020.

1. Background / purpose

The target of the survey was Internet media, including social media, as well as information and communications media, such as television and radio. The survey continuously grasped the length, time slot, rate of usage, and the reliability of such media. The survey intended to clarify the relationships between types of media, including those other than information and communication media, e.g., newspapers and magazines, and changes in usage conditions. This survey has been conducted every year since 2012 in collaboration with Professor HASHIMOTO Yoshiaki at the Graduate School of Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, the University of Tokyo, and others* (this is the eighth survey).

  • *
    Associate Professor KITAMURA Satoshi at the Faculty of Communication Studies, Tokyo Keizai University (he has been appointed as a professor since April, 2020), and Project Assistant Professor KAWAI Daisuke at the Center for Integrated Disaster Information Research (CIDIR), Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, the University of Tokyo

2. Main points of survey report (summary)

  • In the main media, the average usage time of TV (real-time viewing) was the longest, which was 161.2 minutes on weekdays and 215.9 minutes on holidays. The time increased slightly on weekdays and decreased on holidays. Next, the average Internet usage time was 126.2 minutes on weekdays and 131.5 minutes on holidays, and it increased consistently on weekdays.
  • In terms of Internet usage time, the time spent reading and drafting emails was the longest (34.6 minutes) on weekdays, followed by the time spent viewing and writing in social media (32.3 minutes). On holidays, the time spent watching video posting and sharing services was the longest (37.2 minutes), followed by the time spent watching and writing in social media (36.2 minutes).
  • The usage rate of smartphones increased to 91.1%. The usage rate of feature phones fell below 20% for the first time and decreased to 18.3%.
  • As for the usage rate of major social media services and apps, LINE recorded the highest rate (86.9%), followed by Twitter at 38.7%.
  • As for the importance as a source of information, TV recorded the highest rate (88.1%), followed by the Internet at 75.1%. Newspapers had the highest reliability (68.4%) as a type of media, followed by TV at 65.3%.

Contact

For further information about this press release, please fill in the inquiry form and submit it to MIC on the website
https://www.soumu.go.jp/common/english_opinions.html

International Policy Division, Global Strategy Bureau, MIC

TEL: +81 3 5253 5920

FAX: +81 3 5253 5924