Survey Identifies International Communication Methods
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| A survey of Japanese in contact with family or friends abroad has found that email and the telephone are used roughly the same amount of time, but for different purposes. NTT Communications (NTT Com) conducted the survey to learn about the changing patterns of international communication as email continues to rise in popularity, while both fixed telephone and postal mail stagnate or decline. The survey received valid responses from 263 people out of 300 polled between August and September. It was learned that email is used 2.0 times a week, compared with 1.7 times for telephone and 0.4 times for postal mail. Email is used to communicate news (132 responses) and everyday matters (97), the telephone is used for emergencies and other urgent matters (201) and postal mail is popular for congratulating people on events such as birthdays (88) and seasonal holidays (68). The telephone's main advantages, according to the respondents, are hearing the other person's voice (218) and the feeling of making direct contact (183). Disadvantages include high costs (197) and intruding on the receiver (144). The survey also asked about international celebrities with whom people would like to speak. Soccer stars David Beckham and Hidetoshi Nakata were the top answers among people in their 20s and 30s. Among people 40 years and older, the top picks were Sadako Ogata, a former U.N. high commissioner, and U.S. President George W. Bush. |