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Public Attitudes and Concerns about Population Ageing in Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Robert L. Clark  and
Naohiro Ogawaf
Robert L. Clark
Affiliation:
College of Management, Box 7229, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, U.S.A.
Naohiro Ogawaf
Affiliation:
College of Economics and Population Research Institute, Nihon University, Japan.
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Abstract

Japan is the most rapidly ageing developed country in the world. Economic, political, and social changes will be necessary in the next 20 years as Japan attempts to adjust to the rapid ageing of its population. This paper examines survey responses by Japanese men and women regarding their attitudes toward the ageing of their country's population, concerns about the impact of anticipated demographic changes on their economic well-being in retirement, and preferences among alternative policy options for changes in the Japanese social security programme. Responses to a nationally representative survey, conducted by Mainichi Newspapers in 1992, were analysed. Key findings indicate that: (1) the Japanese are concerned about the impact of population ageing on their economic well-being in retirement, (2) most Japanese anticipate that earnings will be an important source of their retirement income, but they are worried about employment opportunities, (3) they favour increasing social security taxes instead of cutting retirement benefits, and (4) they favour raising the age of eligibility for social security benefits.

Keywords

Japanpopulation ageingsocial securityolder workersretirement.
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 16 , Issue 4 , July 1996 , pp. 443 - 465
Copyright
Copyright Cambridge University Press 1996

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