Anime Survey 2018 Preliminary Results

Preliminary Results of the 2018 Anime Survey

In the present paper we report preliminary results from the 2018 Anime Survey. The survey was conducted online and at AnimeFest (August 17-20, 2018) in Dallas, TX. We are grateful to AnimeFest for hosting us and supporting this research project. Also, thank you to everyone who spread the word about the survey. A goal of these preliminary working papers is to provide the fandom with a brief overview of some of the basic findings. The survey included constructs that are not reported here, but will be included in future papers. Our research team is currently working on longer papers describing the results for The Phoenix Papers.

Method and Participants

Paper-and-pencil surveys were handed out to anime fans at AnimeFest in Dallas, TX. At the same time we posted this survey online and solicited volunteers from various anime-related websites. After removing participants that did not complete a majority of questions, the present data includes 369 participants from AnimeFest and 1863 respondents from online (N = 2232, 72.2% male, M_age = 24.44, SD = 6.23). Similar to prior years, the majority of respondents were from the United States (60.8%). However, we received responses from 76 different countries including Canada (6.1%), UK (5.2%), and Germany (3.3%).

Preliminary Results

1. What other interests do anime fans have?

We’re still working on a list of other interests inside and outside the fandom, but here are some categories that were in the 2018 survey. Participants were asked to indicate if they included themselves in each category/group. The percentages next to each category indicate the percent of participants who considered themselves part of that group. The groups included activities, interests, and roles inside, as well as outside, the fandom.

2. What are fans’ sex / gender and sexual orientation?

Anime fans were asked to self-identify with any of the below categories. They could select all that they felt applied.

We also asked about sexual orientation. Participants were asked to pick the option that best describes them.

3. How much money do anime fans spend on various products?

Fans were asked to indicate (in U.S. dollars) how much they spend in the past 12 months on different anime related products. Below are averages of the amount they spent in the past year.

5. How accepting is the fandom to marginalized groups?

Participants were asked to rate three items related to how much different groups were seen as being accepted within the anime fandom on a 7-point scale, from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. Fans generally agreed that people from all manner of gender and sexual orientation groups are accepted in the fandom.

People who identify as LGBQ are accepted in the fandom.

People who identify as straight are accepted in the fandom.

People who identify as gender diverse (e.g., transgender, gender non-conforming) are accepted in the fandom.

6. Do fans endorse gatekeeping?

Participants rated items related to gatekeeping on a 7-point response scale, from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. In general, the results seem to suggest that anime fans tend to show fairly low endorsement of gatekeeping-related attitudes (below the midpoint of the scale).

7. Do fans help others within the fandom?

Participants rated five types of help on frequency (1 = never to 5 = frequently) of giving and receiving each type of help. In general, giving and receiving were relatively close to one another, although fans perceived that they gave more help than they received. Also, the frequency of giving/receiving help were below the midpoint of the scale, suggesting that anime fans may not regularly turn to the anime fandom for help. When they do, the most frequently given and received type of help was emotional support and guidance/advice.

8. Are anime fans elitist?

Participants rated nine items related to fan elitism on a 7-point scale, from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. Similar to gatekeeping, the results show low endorsement of elitist attitudes (below midpoint the scale).

9. Do anime fans endorse prosocial values?

We included six short measures of prosocial values (see Reysen & Katzarska-Miller, 2013, 2018). The values included environmentalism (e.g., “People have a responsibility to conserve natural resources to foster a sustainable environment”), social justice beliefs (e.g., “Those countries that are well off should help people in countries who are less fortunate”), intergroup empathy (e.g., “I am able to empathize with people from other countries”), intergroup helping (e.g., “If I had the opportunity, I would help others who are in need regardless of their nationality”), valuing diversity (e.g., “I am interested in learning about the many cultures that have existed in this world”), and felt responsibility to act for the betterment of the world (e.g., “Being actively involved in global issues is my responsibility”). Ratings were made on a 7-point scale, from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. The results show that anime fans generally endorse all of these prosocial values to at least some extent (i.e., above the midpoint of the scale). Fans most strongly endorsed environmentalism and social justice.

10. What values do anime fans endorse?

We included a short measure of Schwartz’s (1992) 10 universal values: benevolence (e.g., “I want to care for other people”), universalism (e.g., “I think it is important that every person in the world be treated equally”), self-direction (e.g., “I like to do things in my own original way”), stimulation (e.g., “I want to have an exciting life”), hedonism (e.g., “It is important to me to do things that give me pleasure”), achievement (e.g., “I want people to admire what I do”), power (e.g., “It is important to me to be in charge and tell others what to do”), security (e.g., “I avoid anything that might endanger my safety”), conformity (e.g., “I believe that people should do what they’re told”), and tradition (e.g., “I believe that people should be satisfied with what they have”). Ratings were made on a 7-point scale, from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. Tradition and power were both below the midpoint, while universalism, self-direction, and benevolence were rated highest.

11. Do anime fans dream of anime?

We included three questions regarding the association between anime and fans’ dreams. Overall, the results suggest that fans do not often have dreams related to anime.

How often are your dreams in an anime world?

How often are anime characters in your dreams?

What percentage of your dreams are anime-related?

12. Did hentai draw fans into the anime community?

We asked participants to rate a single item (“Anime related pornography influenced me in becoming part of the anime community”) on a 7-point scale, 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. The results suggest that the majority of fans were not drawn into the community through hentai.

13. How many fans often consume hentai?

We asked participants to rate a single item (“I often view anime related pornographic material”) on a 7-point scale, 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. About half (49.6%) of participants agreed that they often consume hentai.

14. Do fans consume more hentai than non-anime related pornographic material?

We asked participants to rate a single item (“I view more anime pornographic material than non-anime pornographic material”) on a 7-point scale, 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. A minority of participants (33.7%) agreed that they consume more hentai than non-anime related pornographic material.

15. Do anime fans correct others if they mispronounce Japanese words?

We asked participants to rate a single item (“I often correct others if they mispronounce Japanese words”) on a 7-point scale, 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. Short answer is that they do not.

15. Do fans believe they have power within the industry?

We asked participants to rate a single item (“Anime fans have influence on what the anime industry produces”) on a 7-point scale, 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. The short answer is that most fans feel they have power within the industry.

16. What are fans’ political views?

In the past we have asked political orientation with a single item (very conservative to very liberal). This year we have split this between three areas of political views: politically, socially, and economically. Similar to past results, anime fans tend to hold liberal political values.

17. Which anime has the most disliked fanbase?

We asked participants to respond to the question “Which anime has the worst fanbase (i.e., fanbase you do not like)?” We then coded the first anime listed in the open-ended responses. Participants mainly suggested that all fanbases have good and bad sides or were unable to think of any particular show fanbase that they viewed negatively. However, 749 participants did list a show. In total, participants listed 83 shows. This shows little community-wide consensus regarding disliked show fanbases. The shows with the most mentions included Sword Art Online (n = 121, 5.4%), Naruto (n = 85, 3.8%), Dragon Ball Z (n = 41, 1.8%), My Hero Academia (n = 39, 1.7%), JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (n = 34, 1.5%), and Attack on Titan (n = 32, 1.4%). However, as noted by many participants, it is often the mainstream, or popular, shows that tend to have negative fan behaviors.