Sixty-three percent of respondents to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey think the nation's preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are not going smoothly.
In contrast, 33 percent of the respondents said preparations are progressing smoothly -- almost double the 16 percent seen in a survey last year. However, the percentage of people with a negative view still accounted for more than half, although it had declined from the 82 percent seen last year.
According to the latest survey on sports, conducted from Jan. 23 to Feb. 28 on 3,000 people nationwide, 81 percent of respondents said they were interested in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, slightly down from 82 percent last year. However, the percentage of people who said they were very interested was 36 percent, falling for the second consecutive year from 39 percent in 2017 and 42 percent in 2016.
Asked what efforts the authorities should accelerate as the host nation, with multiple answers allowed, 51 percent said "reinforcement of antiterrorism measures," up from 44 percent; 34 percent said "improvement of roads, modes of transportation and others," up from 27 percent; and 26 percent responded "cost reduction," down from 33 percent.
As for their favorite sports to watch (with multiple answers allowed), high school baseball was No. 1 with 47 percent, grabbing first place for the first time since the survey began in 1992. Questions were asked in person through 2014, after which they changed to interviews by mail. Professional baseball came in second with 46 percent.
The most popular athlete was figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who won the gold medal in the Pyeongchang Games. Respondents were allowed to write in any name.
A questionnaire was mailed on Jan. 23 to 3,000 randomly selected eligible voters nationwide, with 1,872 people submitting responses by Feb. 28. Among them, 1,822 people -- or 61 percent -- gave valid answers.
-- Millennials watching more sports online
The internet has become a popular medium for younger people to watch sports, according to the results of the recent Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
Asked how they watch sports, with multiple answers allowed, terrestrial TV was the most popular answer at 87 percent, down from 89 percent in last year's survey. Video and flash news websites were least popular among all age groups, selected by only 14 percent, up from 12 percent last year.
However, 33 percent of respondents aged 18-29 said they use such services, up from 26 percent last year.
The popularity of such sites likewise increased among people in their 30s, rising from 16 percent last year to 23 percent this year.
The results suggest that younger generations are increasingly watching sports online.
Twenty-three percent of all the respondents were positive about using internet services, with 6 percent saying they already watch sports online and want to continue doing so, and 17 percent saying they have yet to do so but would like to try.
Among those aged 18 to 29, 30 percent were open to using such services.
Of the respondents who enjoy watching major league baseball, overseas soccer, rugby and professional wrestling, 30 to 40 percent were also open to using paid video streaming services.
The number of subscribers for DAZN, a video-on-demand sports streaming service, topped 1 million last summer.
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