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Degree of freedom of life score is 57.4 points in February, dropping to the 50-point range for the first time in four months
Degree of anxiety and Degree of activity restriction rise again

Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, a think tank of Hakuhodo Inc., conducts a monthly “Survey of Sei-katsu-sha Concerning COVID-19” to get a current picture of sei-katsu-sha attitudes and behaviors during the coronavirus pandemic. The February 2022 survey was conducted over February 1–3 in the Greater Tokyo (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, and Ibaraki Prefectures), Greater Nagoya (Aichi, Mie, and Gifu Prefectures), and Hanshin (Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Nara Prefectures) areas, targeting 1,500 males and females aged 20–69. See p. 8 for the survey outline.

Conditions prior to the survey: New cases continued to soar in January, and by the end of the month, daily cases had topped 80,000 nationwide, far exceeding the 20,000+ peak of Japan’s fifth wave, in summer 2021. Application of Pre-emergency Measures to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 also expanded rapidly, with the Measures in force in 34 prefectures by the end of January. The dominant Omicron strain, which is said to be more infectious than the Delta variant but less likely to cause serious illness, was spreading noticeably among children and young people. The February survey was conducted amid a flurry of media reports of rapidly rising infection and close contact numbers significantly impacting not only the medical system, but families, workplaces and social functions.

 

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