Idol otakus are the most active in Japan

An article by Mainichi Shimbun came to confirm what we have already reported here several times, Idols otakus are the most active and the ones who spend the most money. An online survey conducted by Yano Research Institute Ltd. in Japan with 10,000 people aged 15 to 69 in July revealed that idol fans are “the most active” in terms of how much money and time they spend on their interests, compared to those who have other hobbies. The study focused on people who identified as otaku or were perceived as such by others.

Among the 30 hobbies covered in the research, it is estimated that “mango” is the most popular among otakus, with 6.74 million fans across Japan, followed by “anime” with 6.57 million; “idols” with 4.29 million; “console games” with 3.18 million; “mobile games” with 2.88 million; “Jgames for PC” with 1.78 million; “Light Novels” with 1.26 million; “figures” with 1.15 million; “dojinshi” or self-published printed works with 1.1 million; It is “model kits” with 890 thousand.

In terms of spending, the majority of respondents indicated that they spend between 10,000 and 50,000 yen (approximately 70 to 340 dollars) per year in “otakatsu” (otaku activities). By hobbies, spending was highest among fans of “building a PC or electronic devices,” who spent 105,652 yen ($720) per year on average, followed by idol fans who spent 81,085 yen ($550) and “services maids and cosplay” who spent 63,533. yen ($430).

In terms of weekly hours spent on their hobbies, fans of “Virtual YouTubers (VTubers)” topped the list with 15.7 hours, followed by gaming enthusiasts with “jgames for PC”, “smartphone games” It is “consolsd games” who spent 13.3, 11.9 and 11.7 hours respectively.

Further analysis of the relationship between time and money spent on otaku activities showed that idol fans they were “the most active in spending money and time”. 25.3% of otaku idols responded that they spend “more than 10 hours per week and more than 50,000 yen per year” and idols. About 30% of fans of idols said they spend more than 100,000 yen ($680) per year on their activities, a higher percentage compared to otakus in other areas.

A more in-depth analysis of the characteristics of these fans revealed that the majority are women aged 10 to 30and about 25% are students, having relatively more time to dedicate to their hobbies. O Yano Research Institute Ltd. concluded that “the average family allowance of idol otaku is not significantly different from that of other otaku and that they tend to spend more of their available allowance on their activities.”