Consumers in Japan lag region in optimism, social activism: Study

The research comes from the advertising agency's Communities and Citizenship Study, which surveyed more than 10,000 respondents in 31 markets in 2012.

The mainstream in Japan lags behind most other nations in terms of civic activism, likely because of a relatively prosperous history and a culture that values consensus over individual activism, according to the report.

The study also reflected this sense of helplessness or lack of action when it came to questions regarding who can or should act, the study authors noted. So even though 63 per cent of Japanese agree that corporations and government should work together to improve the world, only 27.7 per cent believe that government and politicians can play a role or influence the kind of change that would make lives better.

Despite the dour outlook, the research highlighted the emergence of a 'prosumer' group that, according to the report, points the way to new hope for the role of communities and citizenship in the country.

This population segment tends to predict where the market is heading in six to 18 months, and is well ahead of the mainstream in wanting change. Yet it is still "casting about" for ways to achieve it, according to the agency.

Compared with the mainstream, these consumers are more likely to:

• Believe that large companies have an obligation to make the world better (79.5 versus 56 per cent)
• Buy from companies with a purpose beyond profits (75 versus 36.8 per cent)
• Want their favorite brands to play a bigger role in their community (63.6 versus 36.4 per cent)
• Interact with brands via social media (59.1 versus 13.4 per cent).

The report authors conclude that there is a real chance for brands to facilitate community action and involvement by getting involved in issues that align with their core values.