Professor Naoko Taniguchi and Visiting Research Fellow Dr. Plamen Akaliyski of the Keio University Graduate School of System Design and Management (SDM; Kohoku Ward, Yokohama) and Associate Professor Joonha Park of the Nagoya University of Commerce & Business (NUCB; Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture) Business School conducted the wave one survey in Japan for the "Values in a Crisis Survey" on May 15 and May 16, 2020. The survey was conducted during the period when Japan was split into regions for which the emergency declaration was in force (Hokkaido Prefecture, Tokyo Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture) and regions where the declaration had been lifted, and it revealed the experiences and anxieties of Japanese people regarding COVID-19, the level of trust in the national government, local government leaders, medical professionals, and the media, and future predictions for the country, society, and the economy. Below is an outline of the survey results:
(1) The impact of COVID-19 on health, work, and the home (hereinafter "corona-related experiences") is being experienced more by younger generations and residents of prefectures where the emergency declaration was in force.
(2) Anxiety is high for people who have had corona-related experiences, for people ordinarily prone to anxiety, and for people who have a low sense of well-being.
(3) People who feel anxiety regarding COVID-19 have low feelings of trust in the national government, local government leaders, medical professionals, and the media.
(4) Although there are some people who feel a greater sense of solidarity than normal with others, persons who are feeling anxious tend to view other people somewhat more severely.
(5) There are strong feelings of anxiety regarding the possibility of becoming infected in the future as well as the direction of the country and economy hereafter. Additionally, there is a call for a society with a stable economy and welfare system.
Wave two and wave three surveys will be conducted in the future in the "with/post-corona" periods.