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- Survey:Annual Population and Social Security Surveys
- The National Survey on Social Security and People’s Life
The National Survey on Social Security and People's Life
Overview of the Survey
The National Survey on Social Security and People's Life aims to aid in deciphering how individuals interact with social security systems. The study gauges how people live their lives, connect with their family and community, and how those connections provide support. The data is invaluable for future local and national governments creating effective social security policies.Survey Subjects
The National Survey on Social Security and People's Life randomly selected 300 survey districts, which were selected for the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions conducted by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). Within these survey districts, heads of households and household members 18 years or older were targeted as potential respondents. Heads of households were asked to complete the household survey while all household members 18 or older were asked to complete the individual survey.Survey Themes
- Basic household information: number of household members, household members' relations, etc.
- Interaction with social security systems: health status, medical visits, caregiving experience, etc.
- Mutual assistance among household members and communities: communication frequency, reliance on one another, etc.
- Employment: first employment, current employment, etc.
- Living conditions: expenses, savings, unpaid bills, living arrangements, bearer of living costs, etc.
- Indicators of household deprivation: ownership of durable goods, etc.
- Housing and residence: living environment, etc.
- Self-help and self-reliance: degree to which one is able to manage without outside help.
Data collection
This survey was conducted and facilitated by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS) in collaboration with MHLW, as well as many government-designated cities, core cities, and specially designated public health center cities.Privacy and Personal Information Protection
All survey responses are used only for the purpose of compiling statistics, any other use is strictly prohibited by the Statistics Act.Previous Uses of Survey Data
Example 1: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Social Security and People's Life were used in the creation of the 2019 "General Principles of Policy on Child Poverty". Analysis of the 2017 survey provided important data indicators utilized in the monitoring and evaluation of policy aimed at combatting child poverty. Results of the Past Surveys
The survey itself is conducted in two parts: a household survey and an individual survey. Only one household survey is to be completed per household whereas the individual survey is to be completed by each household member 18 or older. Of the many survey themes there are questions investigating family relationships, socioeconomic status, public and private support systems, poverty and deprivation, individual's levels of self-reliance, social isolation, as well as basic demographic data. This information is collected in order to thoroughly examine and improve current social security systems.
The 2022 National Survey on Social Security and People's Life marked the first time that respondents could choose one of three survey collection methods: Direct pickup, mail response, or online response. The first method was conventional, while the latter two methods were newly implemented.
Surveyors were local public servants appointed by the governor (or government-designated city mayor). As in the past, surveyors still needed to visit the households initially to distribute survey materials (e.g., paper survey forms, online log-in information, official request forms, etc.). They are also responsible for picking up the completed survey forms that were not returned via online or mail response.
As for the online response, a unique login ID and password were printed on the front cover of each of the survey forms that were provided to households. This login ID and password could be used to sign into the online portal site and anonymously send survey responses.
The following diagram presents the cooperating parties and the basic flow of the survey distribution and collection:
The staff at IPSS review all survey responses, but both the online and paper surveys are completed anonymously, so that even the IPSS staff are unable to determine the respondent’s identity. Online respondents are registered through the Official Statistics Online Survey Portal Site. As such, the data is assigned to an online response ID rather than any individual name. No one besides the IPSS staff have access to the responses.
In the event of a paper form being submitted, the household form and the individual form(s) (for any household members 18 and older) are placed and sealed in the provided, pay-on-receipt envelopes. Once sealed and mailed, the envelope is prohibited from being opened until it reaches its destination at the institute.
When the aggregate results are released, all data will be processed and shown statistically, and individuals will not be identified. After the calculations are completed and the retention period ends, the survey responses will be destroyed.
All of the surveyors who conduct survey activities are local public servants appointed by prefectural governors (or city or ward mayors). In order to ensure the protection of personal information, the survey administration manual for surveyors provides thorough guidance on privacy protection. Confidentiality is strictly protected; this includes imprisonment and/or fines for leaking survey content or prematurely unsealing envelopes.
Data regarding reliance and support availability has proven to be insightful. The percentage of respondents who answered that they "have no one" they can rely on for financial support in times of need was higher among single-parent households with children and low-income households with children. The percentage of respondents who answered that they "have no one" they could turn to for advice on important matters was also higher among single-parent households. These results were used as indices in the 2019 "General Principles of Policy on Child Poverty".
Example 2: Past surveys have also aided in the identification of loneliness and isolation among the elderly. The 2017 data shows a high percentage of elderly single males in a state of isolation with very few opportunities for conversation. Across sex and household type, most individuals have conversations on a daily basis. However, there is a significant number (14.8%) of elderly single men who only have a conversation once every two weeks or even less frequently. This figure is much higher than that of elderly single women or the elderly living with a spouse, marking a unique population where intervention may be effective.
