Japanese more pessimistic; need for global outlook increases: JWT

This latest study by JWT Japan follows a report released in May earlier this year on a study conducted in April and finds that in the last six months, the nation's feelings of anxiety have increased from 30 per cent to 60 per cent. "This is indicative that the disaster has brought to a head some deeper issues the country is facing," said the report.

The results reported are based on a quantitative survey conducted via JWT's global tracking project AnxietyIndex using proprietary online research tool SONAR. Data was collected between 9 and 13 September 2011 from 500 Japanese adults aged over 18. The data was weighted by age and due to the disaster, 14 regions were excluded from this research, representing 27 per cent of Japan.

Japan's growing sense of pessimism is due to the disappointment that the disaster hasn't succeeded in acting as a stimulus to jolt the nation out of its 25-year economic stagnation. The government's lack of concrete consistent information following the disaster has frustrated the Japanese and undermined their belief in its effectiveness, said the report. 

Tied closely to this is the plunge in trust in the government, big corporations and the media over the past six months. Only a quarter surveyed trust what the government is saying and only 61 per cent, compared with 80 percent in April, trust that big corporations are helping Japan recover. JWT concluded that this drop in trust has less to do with a change in what big corporations have been doing, and more about the reality and scope of Japan's challenges.

"A vicious cycle is developing: as trust decreases, people are looking to other sources, such as blogs, foreign media... but there are often conflicting and contradictory reports and rumours spreading as a result; these conflicting and contradictory pieces of information are then creating even greater confusion; and trust decreases even further," said the study.

Brands looking to fill this leadership vacuum should look for ways to help people feel more secure, the report recommended. Food brands in particular can provide reassurances of being safely radiation free - reassuring anxieties on that score. Brands in other areas should consider what they can contribute to clear up some of the confusion  and make the situation better.

The desire for a sense of security is so strong that Japan's lead news channel NHK has been reporting that sales of luxury brands have increased dramatically in the last few months. "Having experienced experienced traumatic losses, purchasing brands that bring with them a sense of deeper emotional satisfaction — even if they cost more money then people would have normally spent — is one way to regain a sense of normalcy and feel, even if only briefly, that everything will be alright," observed the report. While superficial, "the power of brands to affect the way people feel in this sense should not be underestimated".

There is also a sense of longing among the Japanese for the days when Japanese companies were dominant players on the world stage, but 60 per cent of those surveyed feel that Japanese companies and brands are struggling on the global stage. "The need to go global is now reaching crisis levels," concluded the report.

One thing the Japanese are more confident in however are the Japanese themselves. The power of the Japanese collective spirit is being seen and felt and confidence in families, neighbours, local businesses and governments has grown since April. "On the ground in the most effected areas, it has been the local people, acting with what, from a foreign perspective, can only be described as remarkable cooperation, that have had the greatest impact on bringing about improvements in the situation," noted the study.

Collectively, the Japanese have also been increasing their efforts to be more energy efficient despite anger towards Tokyo Electric for its continuing post-disaster attempts to cover up and deflect blame. However, the Japanese sense of communal responsibility seems to have come to the fore and despite the hot months of summer, many were eschewing air conditioning in favour of the electric fan which were in short supply. As winter approaches, there is a shortage of kerosene space-heaters as people continue to save on electricity by decreasing the use of central heating units.

This means there are grass-roots opportunities for brands to reach out to and collaborate with the people and groups on the ground who are making the most significant difference in the recovery efforts. By doing so, brands can play a more meaningful and impactful role in helping Japan get back on its feet, and as such, can gain significant goodwill, not just from those most effected, but from the nation as a whole.