The findings have been reported in the Japanese media under headlines such as “The bad habits of low earners” and “People on a low income pee in the bath – but why?
Investment consultant Tokio Godo says that these kinds of “bad habits” are the reason the poor stay poor.
Japan’s widening income gap is “not just because they [people on a low income] have bad luck”, he says, suggesting that these lifestyle habits are the true cause.
Telling us that low earners “often look at social networking sites while working” and “daydream during work hours” means nothing if we don’t know how many high income earners also do these things.
▼ Percentage of salarymen who answered “yes” to statements in the ‘Bad Habits of Low Earners’ survey.