Aozora Bank, Ltd.
September 12, 2016
ＮＥＷＳ ＲＥＬＥＡＳＥ
Aozora Announces Results of Senior Citizens Survey
~Senior Citizens’ Spending Habits: Average of 500,000 yen for
Overseas Travel with Children and Grandchildren~
~Spending on second and third generations increasing~
Tokyo September 12, 2016 – Aozora Bank, Ltd. (President and CEO: Shinsuke Baba; Head Office: Tokyo)
(‘Aozora’ or ‘the Bank’) today announced the results of its 2016 Senior Citizens Survey. This year marks the
third consecutive year since 2014 that the Bank has conducted this survey of approximately 2,000 people
throughout Japan from the ‘Brilliant 60s’ generation, aged 55 to 74.
Brilliant 60s is the name given by the Bank to Japan’s highly adventurous and active senior generation,
mainly comprised of people in their sixties. The Bank is committed to supporting the active lifestyles of its
senior customers through the provision of asset management consulting services.
Overview of survey results (See attachment for details)
1. Seniors spend lavish amounts on overseas trips with children or grandchildren; an
average of 496,300 yen in expenses.
~Increase only in money spent on overseas trips with children or grandchildren; decreases for all
other types of travel~
★ For overseas travel, the average amount spent for ‘trips with children or grandchildren’ was
496,300 yen (23,600 yen increase compared to last year), while ‘solo trips’ were an average of
204,100 yen (4,600 yen decrease), ‘trips with spouse’ were 410,300 yen (12,300 yen decrease)
and ‘trips with friends’ were 212,700 yen (8,800 yen decrease). Trips with children or grandchildren
saw the only increase in expenses.
★ Average amounts spent on domestic travel decreased irrespective of the companion.
2. ‘Civil servant’ ranks 1st among professions seniors want grandchildren to pursue.
Importance placed on stability and level of expertise required?
~Followed by ‘doctor’ in 2nd, and ‘scientist/scholar/curator’ in 3rd ~
★ The professions seniors want their grandchildren to pursue suggest that importance is placed on
stability and the level of expertise required. The top ten professions were as follows:
1st ‘civil servant’ (23.2%), 2nd ‘doctor’ (20.7%), 3rd ‘scientist/scholar/curator’ (14.6%), 4th
‘judge/lawyer’ (9.2%), 5th ‘teacher/professor’ (9.1%), 6th ‘certified public accountant/patent
attorney/tax accountant’ (8.2%), 7th ‘athlete’ (8.1%), 8th ‘artist such as a musician, painter, or
photographer’ (6.3%), 9th ‘architect’ (6.2%), 10th ‘company employee or officer (of a manufacturer)’
and ‘pilot or flight attendant’ (5.8%).
3. Seniors have an average of 1,000,000 yen in ‘secret savings’, an increase of more than 10%
from the previous year.
~Secret savings of senior women still twice that of senior men~
★ Actual secret savings were on average 1,000,000 yen (150,000 yen increase), a significant rise
compared to last year. While the average ideal amount of secret savings of 3,270,000 yen
(decrease of 30,000 yen compared to last year) was higher than the actual average saved, the gap
between ideal and actual amounts narrowed compared to the previous year.
★ The average amount of secret savings of senior women (1,320,000 yen; 210,000 yen increase)
remained twice that of senior men (670,000 yen; 90,000 yen increase).
4. Decline in both ideal and actual amounts spent on gifts for spouses.
~Marked decrease in ideal gift amounts of 2,800 yen~
★ The average ideal amount seniors wish to spend on gifts for spouses declined for both women and
men.
Average ideal amount 15,100 yen (2,800 yen decrease compared to last year): men 18,600 yen
(3,500 yen decrease); women 11,500 yen (2,000 yen decrease).
★ The amount of money seniors actually spend on gifts for spouses declined slightly for both women
and men.
Average actual amount 6,600 yen (100 yen decrease compared to last year): men 7,100 yen (100
yen decrease); women 6,000 yen (300 yen decrease).
While seniors seem to be less inclined than last year to buy expensive gifts, actual gift amounts
were almost same.
Media inquiries: Tatsuhiro Nawa, Business Strategy Division 03-5212-9252
Aozora Bank, Ltd.
3-1, Kudan-minami 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8660, Japan Tel. 03-3263-1111
Attachment
Aozora’s 2016 Senior Citizens Survey
Purpose
This survey examines senior citizens’ awareness and actual use of money from various perspectives, including
lifestyles, post-retirement plans, asset management, travel, eating out, hobbies, children and grandchildren.
Participants
Men and women throughout Japan aged 55-74: 2,074 people in total
Details
Internet survey conducted June 10, 2016 – June 13, 2016
Financial asset background
Average amounts of financial assets of survey participants: late 50s 15.48 million yen;
60s 20.28 million yen; early 70s 20.98 million yen
Average amounts of financial assets of households (2 persons or more) in Japan: 50s 13.25 million yen;
60s 16.64 million yen; 70s 16.18 million yen
Source: The Central Council for Financial Service Information’s 2015 “Public Opinion Survey on Household Financial Assets and Liabilities”
1. Seniors spend lavish amounts on overseas trips with children or grandchildren; an average
of 496,300 yen in expenses.
~ Increase only in money spent on overseas trips with children or grandchildren; decreases for all
other types of travel ~
Question: How much on average do you normally spend on domestic/overseas trips?
■Average spending on overseas trips
With regard to the question of expenses for trips with (10,000 yen)
60
different companions, results showed that seniors
spent an average of 496,300 yen on ‘trips with children
or grandchildren’, 23,600 yen higher than last year’s
40
survey. Trips with children or grandchildren saw the
only increase, with the average amounts for ‘solo trips’
20
(204,100 yen ; 4,600 decrease), ‘trips with spouse’
(410,300 yen; 12,300 decrease), and ‘trips with
friends’ (212,700 yen ; 8,800 yen decrease) all
0
declining compared to last year.
(Graph 1)
2014
2015
2016
■Average spending on domestic trips
For domestic trips, while ‘trips with children or
(10,000 yen)
15
grandchildren’ saw the smallest decline in expenses,
average spending amounts fell across the board,
irrespective of the companion. Average amounts spent
10
on ‘solo trips’ was 42,300 yen (1,700 yen decrease),
‘trips with spouse’ was 93,400 yen (9,700 yen
decrease), ‘trips with children or grandchildren’ was
5
141,600 yen (1,000 yen decrease), and ‘trips with
friends’ was 56,200 yen (3,700 yen decrease).
0
(Graph 2)
Graph 1: Spending on overseas trips
(Average amount)
2014
Solo
209,700
208,700
204,100
Aozora Bank, Ltd.
2014
2015
2016
403,200
422,600
410,300
With children or
grandchildren
2016
With friends
478,900
472,700
496,300
216,800
221,500
212,700
Graph 2: Spending on domestic trips
(Average amount)
2014
Solo
Results show that seniors spare no expense for trips
with children or grandchildren. Seniors’ plans for the
upcoming vacation season will be of interest.
With spouse
2015
43,100
44,000
42,300
With spouse
95,400
103,100
93,400
With children or
grandchildren
133,700
142,600
141,600
3-1, Kudan-minami 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8660, Japan Tel. 03-3263-1111
2015
2016
With friends
53,100
59,900
56,200
2. ‘Civil servant’ ranks 1st among professions seniors want grandchildren to pursue.
Importance placed on stability and level of expertise required?
~ Followed by ‘doctor’ in 2nd, and ‘scientist/scholar/curator’ in 3rd ~
Question: What profession would you like your grandchildren to pursue?
When asked what profession they would like their grandchildren to pursue, the top three responses given by
seniors were as follows: 1st ‘civil servant’ (23.2%), 2nd ‘doctor’ (20.7%), and 3rd ‘scientist/scholar/curator’
(14.6%). The order of the top 3 professions was same for both men and women seniors and the
percentages were also very close. With ‘judge/lawyer’ (9.2%) in fourth place, ‘teacher/professor’ (9.1%) in
fifth place, and ‘certified public accountant/patent attorney/tax accountant’ (8.2%) in sixth place, we can see
that seniors place importance on stability and the level of expertise required in each profession.
(Table 1)
Table 1: Ranking of professions seniors want grandchildren to pursue
*Excluding ‘Others’
(%)
Total no. of seniors　(N=2,074)
Rank
Women　(N=1,069)
Men (N=1,005)
1
Civil servant/diplomat (*1)
23.2 Civil servant/diplomat (*1)
21.9 Civil servant/diplomat (*1)
24.5
2
Doctor
20.7 Doctor
20.1 Doctor
21.2
3
Scientist/scholar/curator (*2)
14.6 Scientist/scholar/curator (*2)
14.3 Scientist/scholar/curator (*2)
14.8
4
Judge/lawyer
9.2 Athlete
9.3 Judge/lawyer
9.7
5
Teacher/professor
9.1 Teacher/professor
8.8 Teacher/professor
9.4
6
Certified public or tax accountant/patent attorney
8.2 Judge/lawyer
8.7 Certified public or tax accountant/patent attorney
8.4
7
Athlete
8.1 Certified public or tax accountant/patent attorney
8.0 Interpreter/translator
7.8
8
Artist (*3)
6.3 Company employee/officer (manufacturer)
7.2 Architect
7.3
9
Architect
6.2 Pilot/flight attendant
6.7 Athlete
7.0
5.9 Artist (*3)
6.6
10
Company employee/officer (manufacturer)
Pilot/flight attendant
5.8
Artist (*3)
*1 "Civil servant" excludes "Teacher/professor"
*2 "Curator" refers to curators of art galleries or museums
*3 "Artist"refers to musicians/painters/photographers
Seniors’ responses to ‘What profession would you pursue if you could live your life over again?’ were as in
Table 2 below.
The most popular choice for both senior men and women was ‘scientist/scholar/curator’ (14.1%). For senior
men, ‘pilot/cabin attendant’ (15%) was second, ‘doctor’ (14.6%) was third, and ‘carpenter/artisan’ (13.1%)
was fourth. For senior women, ‘artist’ (12.3%) was second, ‘civil servant/diplomat’ (10.9%) was third, and
‘doctor’ (10.6%) was fourth.
While seniors wish for their grandchildren to enter stable professions requiring expertise such as civil
servants, diplomats and doctors, they also seek stability for themselves in professions such as doctor and
civil servant. Responses such as pilot and artist also offer a glimpse into the dreams of seniors. (Table 2)
Table 2: Ranking of professions seniors would pursue if they could live their lives over again
*Excluding ‘Others’
(%)
Total no. of seniors　(N=2,074)
Men (N=1,005)
Rank
(
)
Women　(N=1,069)
1
Scientist/scholar/curator (*2)
14.1 Scientist/scholar/curator (*2)
15.7 Scientist/scholar/curator (*2)
12.5
2
Doctor
12.5 Pilot/flight attendant
15.0 Artist (*3)
12.3
3
Artist (*3)
11.1 Doctor
14.6 Civil servant/diplomat (*1)
10.9
4
Civil servant/diplomat (*1)
10.8 Carpenter/artisan
13.1 Doctor
10.6
5
Pilot/flight attendant
10.3 Athlete
11.5 Literary related (novelist, etc.)
10.5
6
Literary related (novelist, etc.)
10.8 Interpreter/translator
10.4
7
Chef/cooking expert/patissier
8
Carpenter/artisan
9
Teacher/professor
10
9.4 Civil servant/diplomat (*1)
8.5
Artist (*3)
Teacher/professor
7.9 Politician
Athlete
6.9
Interpreter/translator
Chef/cooking expert/patissier
10.0 Chef/cooking expert/patissier
8.4
8.5 Teacher/professor
7.3
8.4 Fashion related ‎(beautician, etc.)
6.4
*1 "Civil servant" excludes "Teacher/professor"
*2 "Curator" refers to curators of art galleries or museums
*3 "Artist"refers to musicians/painters/photographers
Aozora Bank, Ltd.
8.7
8.6 Anchorperson/journalist/announcer
3-1, Kudan-minami 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8660, Japan Tel. 03-3263-1111
3. Seniors have an average of 1,000,000 yen in ‘secret savings’, an increase of more than 10%
from the previous year.
~Secret savings of senior women still twice that of senior men~
Question: How much secret savings do you have? What is your ideal amount?
Graph 3: Seniors with/without secret savings (2016)
* Secret savings of ‘0 yen’ are treated as ‘no savings’
■ Seniors with/without secret savings
39.6% of men and 46.7% of women have secret
savings.
(Graph 3)
Graph 4: Ideal secret savings amounts
（2014~2016）
■Ideal secret savings amounts
The overall average ideal secret savings amount of 3.27
million yen was largely unchanged from last year
(30,000 yen decrease).
(Graph 4)
(10,000 yen)
400
300
330
327
2015
2016
251
200
100
0
The average ideal amount for senior men was 2.32
million yen (70,000 yen increase), while the average for
senior women was 4.16 million yen (120,000 yen
decrease), representing a slight increase for men and a
large decrease of over 100,000 yen for women
compared to the previous year.
(Graph 5)
2014
Graph 5: Ideal secret savings amounts by gender
（2014~2016）
(10,000 yen)
Men
500
428
416
Women
400
313
300
232
225
200
185
100
0
■Actual secret savings amounts
The overall average amount of actual secret savings
increased significantly compared to last year to 1 million
yen (150,000 yen increase).
(Graph 6)
2014
2015
2016
Graph 6: Actual secret savings amounts
（2014~2016）
(10,000 yen)
150
105
100
85
100
50
0
Aozora Bank, Ltd.
2014
2015
3-1, Kudan-minami 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8660, Japan Tel. 03-3263-1111
2016
The average actual amount of secret savings for
senior men was 670,000 yen (90,000 yen increase)
compared with 1.32 million yen (210,000 yen
increase) on average for women, increasing for both
men and women from the previous year. This is the
third consecutive year that the secret savings of
women seniors have doubled that of men.
(Graph 7)
Graph 7: Actual secret savings amounts by gender
（2014~2016）
(10,000 yen)
200
Men
Women
139
150
132
111
Almost
double
100
Almost
double
Almost
double
68
67
58
50
0
2014
2015
2016
■Ideal and actual secret savings by gender
 Overall, the majority of seniors with secret savings (excluding seniors with no secret savings, ‘0 yen’ ) fall in the
‘1～5 million yen’ (11.4%) and the ‘100,000～500,000 yen’ (11.1%) categories. The majority of men have
100,000～500,000 yen (12.2%), while most women have 1～5 million yen (14.0%) in secret savings.
 With respect to ideal secret savings amounts, the majority of men and women said their ideal amount was 1～
5 million yen. (Overall: 27.1%; Men: 27.7%; Women: 26.6%) (Graph 8)
Graph 8: Ideal vs. Actual amounts of secret savings by gender
40%
27.1
20%
9.3
14.211.1
11.4
6.3 4.5
6.3
Ideal
13.3
7.4
3.3
Actual
3.7
0%
100,000
100,000～
yen or less 500,000 yen
Ideal
Actual
Overall
Men
Women
Overall
Men
Women
n=
(2,064)
(1,002)
(1,062)
(2,064)
(1,002)
(1,062)
6.3
6.8
5.7
9.3
9.8
8.9
14.2
17.6
11.0
11.1
12.2
10.2
Av erage
500,000～
10 million
1～5
5～10
(10 thousand
1,000,000
yen or
million yen million yen
yen
more
y en)
6.3
7.2
5.6
4.5
4.7
4.2
27.1
27.7
26.6
11.4
8.6
14.0
7.4
5.2
9.5
3.3
2.5
4.0
13.3
9.0
17.3
3.7
1.9
5.4
327
232
416
100
67
132
Note: Respondents with secret savings of ‘0 yen’ are not shown in the graph above.
Seniors with secret savings of ‘0 yen’ are included in averages.
■Ideal/ actual secret savings by region
 Both ideal and actual secret savings were higher
in the Kansai region (Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara
than the Kanto region (Tokyo, Kanagawa,
Saitama, Chiba). In both regions, there was a big
gap between ideal and actual amounts. (Graph 9)


Average ideal amounts were 3.24 million yen
(870,000 decrease from previous year) for Kanto,
and 3.9 million yen (710,000 yen increase) for
Kansai.
Actual amounts were an average of 930,000 yen
(270,000 yen decrease) in Kanto and 1,390,000
yen (650,000 yen increase) in Kansai.
Aozora Bank, Ltd.
Graph 9: Ideal/ actual secret savings by region
(10,000 yen)
500
400
390
324
Ideal
300
Actual
200
93
100
0
Kanto
139
Kansai
3-1, Kudan-minami 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8660, Japan Tel. 03-3263-1111
4. Decline in both ideal and actual amounts spent on gifts for spouses.
~Marked decrease in ideal gift amounts of 2,800 yen~
Question: How much would you ideally and actually spend on anniversary gifts for your spouse?
■Gap between ideal and actual amounts
In comparison with last year, the overall average
ideal gift amount decreased 2,800 yen, while the
actual average amount was almost unchanged. As a
result, the gap between ideal and actual amounts
(ideal amount minus actual amount spent on gifts)
was only 8,500 yen overall compared to 11,200 yen
in the previous year.
The average ideal amount seniors wish to spend on
gifts for spouses declined from last year, while the
actual amount spent was stable, remaining almost
the same as last year. (Graph 10)
■Ideal gift amounts for spouses
The average ideal amount seniors wish to spend on
gifts for their spouses was 15,100 yen (2,800 decrease
from last year) overall. Compared with last year, the
average amounts for both men and women decreased
significantly, with the average for men at 18, 600 yen
(3,500 yen decrease) and the average for women at
11,500 yen (2,000 yen decrease). (Graph 11)
Graph 10: Ideal/ actual gift amounts for spouses
（2014 ～ 2016）
(yen)
8,500
－2,800
＋2,500
Graph 11: Ideal amount to spend on gifts for spouses
（2014 ～ 2016）
（yen）
25,000
22,100
19,200
20,000
18,600
15,000
11,300
13,500
11,500
10,000
5,000
2014
2014
0
■Actual amounts spent on gifts for spouses
The overall average amount spent on gifts for
spouses was 6,600 yen (decrease of 100 yen from
previous year). While the respective averages for
men and women declined slightly compared to last
year, amounts have remained almost the same for
the past 3 years. Men spent an average of 7,100 yen
(decrease of 100 yen) while women spent 6,000 yen
(decrease of 300 yen). (Graph 12)
2015
2015
2016
2016
2014
2014
Men
2015
2015
2016
2016
Women
Graph 12: Actual amounts spent on gifts for spouses
（2014 ～ 2016）
(yen)
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
6,900
7,200
7,100
2014
2015
2016
5,600
6,300
6,000
2014
2015
2016
5,000
0
Men
Aozora Bank, Ltd.
3-1, Kudan-minami 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8660, Japan Tel. 03-3263-1111
Women
■Ideal and actual amounts spent on gifts for spouses
 The most common response in regard to actual amounts spent on gifts for spouses was 0 yen for both men
and women. In other words, approximately 40% of seniors do not spend money on gifts or do not give any gifts
to their spouses. (Overall: 43.6%; Men: 44.5%; Women: 42.7%)
 Overall, 10,000-30,000 yen was the most common ideal amount (40.6%), followed by 0 yen (30.0%).
 Average ideal amounts were 18,600 yen and 11,500 yen for men and women, respectively, indicating that men
have a stronger desire to spend money on gifts for their spouses. However, the actual average amount spent
by men was 7,100 yen, which means the gap between ideal and actual amounts for men is larger than the gap
for women (6,000 yen). (Graph 13)
Graph 13: Ideal/ actual gift amounts for spouses
50%
43.6
40.6
40%
30%
27.6
30.0
Ideal
16.0
20%
7.7
10%
10.2
7.3
2.3
0%
0 yen
Less than
5,000 yen
5,000～
10,000
yen
Actual
9.5
2.8
2.3
10,000～ 30,000～
Av erage
50,000 yen
(10 thousand
50,000 yen
30,000
or more
y en)
yen
n=
Overall
Ideal
Actual
(1,622)
30.0
2.3
10.2
40.6
7.3
9.5
1.51
(831)
27.6
2.3
8.3
41.0
6.7
14.1
1.86
Women
(791)
32.5
2.4
12.3
40.2
8.0
4.7
1.15
Overall
(1,622)
43.6
7.7
16.0
27.6
2.8
2.3
0.66
Men
(830)
44.5
8.4
14.2
26.6
3.1
3.1
0.71
Women
(792)
42.7
6.9
17.8
28.5
2.5
1.5
0.60
Men
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% as figures have been rounded to one decimal place.
Aozora Bank, Ltd.
3-1, Kudan-minami 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8660, Japan Tel. 03-3263-1111