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In 2006 and 2008, Greenpeace commissioned Nippon Research Centre Ltd, a member of Gallup International Association, to undertake an opinion poll on whaling in Japan.
The poll contacted 1051 people, aged 15-60 years, and asked 18 questions about whaling. Respondents were randomly selected from internet panels registered with the Centre (the Centre maintains pre-recruited panels of internet users available to be interviewed for specific projects).
The 2008 poll asked the same questions as the 2006 poll. Here are some of the results.
General attitudes to whaling
In terms of general attitudes to whaling, 69% of respondents were not in favour. They either were opposed to whaling or held no opinion.
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| 2006 | 2008 | ||
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| Favoured whaling | 35% | 31% | |
| Opposed whaling | 26% | 25% | |
| No opinion | 39% | 44% | |
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When the above results were analysed according to age and gender, women and younger people were more likely to oppose whaling, with the majority of women aged 15-36 years opposed.
71% did not support whaling on the high seas
The poll also presented respondents with four statements, from which they were to choose one that best reflected their opinion.
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| Japan should whale on the high seas as well as along the Japanese coast | 21% | ||
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| Japan should whale along the Japanese coast but not on the high seas | 45% | ||
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| Japan should whale on the high seas but not along the Japanese coast | 3% | ||
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| Japan should discontinue whaling | 26% | ||
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| Other | 5% | ||
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Based on the above results, 71% of respondents supported an end to whaling on the high seas (either by stopping whaling altogether or by just stopping whaling on the high seas).
The Centre further analysed the responses and found that, among those who said they were neither for nor against whaling, over 80% disagreed with whaling on the high seas. Even among those respondents who said they supported whaling, almost 40% disagreed with whaling on the high seas.
When the same question was asked in 2006, 69% wanted an end to whaling on the high seas.
Little awareness of their country's whaling program
Questions about whaling in general produced responses suggesting that the average person in Japan has little idea of what the Japanese Government does in their name.
| Respondents were asked if they knew that … | Did not know | ||
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| Whale meat obtained as a result of the research is sold in Japan for commercial purposes. | 40% | ||
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| The Japanese Government hunts whales for scientific purposes despite requests from the International Whaling Commission to limit research to non-lethal methods only. | 45% | ||
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| The Japanese Government announced a halt to hunting humpback whales in the Antarctic Ocean. | >80% | ||
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| Japan hunts over 900 whales, including 50 of an endangered species, within the Antarctic Ocean whale sanctuary. | 85% | ||
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| The Japanese Government subsidises research whaling with about 500 million yen (AU$8.59 million) annually. | 87% | ||
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The picture revealed by these answers is very different from the image of Japan as a nation that largely supports whaling. It shows that the largest category comprises those with no opinion about whaling and little knowledge of what their government is doing on their behalf.
Among those with an opinion, there is only a slim majority who support whaling. A striking majority of over 70% of Japanese people oppose whaling on the high seas, even those who are neither for nor against whaling.
Read the full report (PDF; 33pp, 416kb)
