Survey Report: "Research on Rice Consumption - Changes in Attitudes Towards Rice"
Asahi University Marketing Research Institute conducted a survey on rice consumption. Approximately 90% of respondents perceive current rice prices as 'high,' with women showing a particularly strong sense of expensiveness. The survey also found high acceptance of imported rice, suggesting that continued price hikes could lead to increased market share for foreign rice and pose a threat to domestic Japanese rice.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 00:21
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 01:06 (45 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 08:52 (511h 45m after Collected)
Asahi University Marketing Research Institute (Director: Chihiro Nakahata), an affiliated research institution of Asahi University (Mizuho City, Gifu Prefecture), conducted a survey on rice consumption.
Against the backdrop of labor shortages and rising costs, the selling price of rice has soared. The price increase has been very significant, and it is believed that more people have taken or are planning to take some measures. What impact is this currently having on rice consumption behavior, and is the trend of moving away from rice progressing? A survey was conducted to understand these realities.
Main Results of the "Survey on Rice Consumption - Changes in Attitudes Towards Rice" Report
■ 90% evaluate recent rice prices as high
Regarding perceptions of recent rice prices, an overwhelming 89.2% felt they were "high." Only about 10.4% felt they were "appropriate," and a mere 0.4% felt they were "cheap." The majority of rice prices have reached a level perceived as "high."
No significant bias was observed by gender or age, but the proportion of those who felt prices were "high" was 4 percentage points higher for women (91.2%) than for men (87.2%). Among women, this was particularly high for those aged 50-59 (96.0%) and 40-49 (94.0%).
The perception of rice prices being expensive is strongly felt, especially among homemakers.
■ Majority accepts imported rice
Following the rise in rice prices, only 24 people (4.8% of the total) reported an increase in their frequency of eating imported rice. However, their evaluation of imported rice was 54.2% "satisfied" and 37.5% "neither satisfied nor dissatisfied," with only 8.3% being "dissatisfied." The acceptance rate was over 90%, with clear dissatisfaction being less than 10%.
Although the number of people eating imported rice more frequently is currently small at 24, if rice prices continue to rise, its share will inevitably increase. Consequently, more people who previously avoided imported rice due to image alone will have opportunities to try it. Given the high acceptance shown in this evaluation, it is likely that many will form a different opinion of imported rice after tasting it, contrary to their previous perceptions. Imported rice will likely become a strong alternative.
The current market environment of rising rice prices, which promotes the consumption of imported rice, poses a significant threat to Japanese domestic rice.
■ Over 70% wish to continue current eating habits even if rice prices fall in the future
When asked about their intention to consume rice if rice prices were to fall in the future, 72.6% responded, "I think it will be almost the same." Approximately 70% wished to continue their current situation. In contrast, 18.6% thought their rice consumption would "increase," 5.0% thought it would "decrease," and 3.8% were "unsure."