Japanese Religions & Anime Survey Data
Original Survey
Raw Data:
19 Respondents
Ages:
Ages Ranging from 17-54
Average Age 29.42
Sexes:
One Androgynous
Eight Females
Ten Males
One Male & One Female respondent reported being spiritually fluid.
Location:
8 Ohio
1 from
Arizona
California
East Coast
Illinois
Kentucky
Michigan
Oregon
Tennessee
Washington
Socioeconomic Statues:
Mostly Middles
13 Middles
-
5 Lower Middles
1 Middle Class
4 Middle Middle
3 Upper Middles
-
6 Working Class
-
3 Upper Working
1 Middle Working
2 Working Class
-
Education:
5 Bachelor's Degrees
2 High School
2 Currently in High School
2 Grad Students
1 Post Graduate Degree
7 Some College
Occupation:
8 Students
3 Sales Clerks
2 Technical Writers
One Each:
Cook
Counselor
Financial Planner
Office Worker
Unemployed
Writer
Party:
8 Had No Party affiliation (3 Moderates, 2 Liberals, 1 Libertarian, One Other, One Conservative)
4 Green* (Two no responses, One Liberal, One Progressive)
6 Democrats - Only two Democrats considered themselves Liberal, Two Considered themselves Moderate and one did not respond)
1 Boston Tea Part (Anarcholibertarian)
*One Green indicated an affiliation with the Democratic Party as Well
Religion:
9 Pagans* (2 Pagans, One of each: Shamanic Pagan, Animistic, Celtic Reconstructionist, Neo-Pagan, Northern Tradition, Pagan, Wiccan)
3 Roman Catholics
3 Protestant Christians (Presbyterian, Judeo-Christian, and Christian)
2 Buddhists (Both Identifying also as Pagan)
1 UU
1 Anti-Label
1 Taoist (also Identifying as Buddhist & Pagan)
1 Agnostic Atheist
1 Apathetic
*Includes Heathens.
Birth Traditions:
6 Roman Catholic Background - Only two still Catholic
3 Methodists - None Currently Still Methodist (one left for Roman Catholicism, One each for UU and Wicca.
8 Other Protestant groups - 2 Retaining, Of the rest 4 went to Pagan groups, one is apathetic toward religion, and one is still Christian but does not believe in denominational ties.
1 Non-religious -> Anti-Label
Exposure:
Only eight respondents of hours per day
Less than an hour to 10 hours per day
16 Respondents on Hours per week
Ranged from 80 - 3 Hours.
Average (estimated with ranges halved - Ex 5-10 hours became 7.5 hours) 18.28 Hours per week
9 of the 16 reporting 10 hours or less per week.
5 Reporting 21 Hours or less Per Week
2 over 77 Hours per Week.
Self Ranking:
7 Otaku - Ranging from 80 hours per week to five hours per week. 10 conventions per year to zero. One Reported aprox 77 hours of exposure per week and attending ten conventions per year.
5 Casual Fans - one exposed 18 hours per week and attending 2 cons, one attending 6-7 cons per year (exposed five hours per day), and the rest not attending cons and viewing under eight hours per week.
2 Moderates at less than three hours a week - under all casuals' levels - one attending a single con.
2 Former Otaku (one exposed 21 hours per week the other no data)
One fan of specific titles at 15 hours per week.
One Film Fan
One Unsure - no data on exposure
Shows:
Heavy Diversity!
Taken as a group Studio Gibli got 5 shows
3 Revolutionary Girl Utena
Only (Specific) Titles Counted Twice
Captain Harlock
Card Captor Sakura
Cowboy Bebop
Ghost in a Shell
Gunbuster
Haibane Renmei
Mobile Suit Gundam
Princess Mononoke
Sailor Moon
Saiyuki
Influence on Practice:
Eight indicated that Japanese Anime/Manga/Popculture had an influence on their Beliefs/Practice.
Range (8-2) - One Undefined
Average 4.09
Two reported that Anime inspired them to look into Buddhism - One becoming Buddhist.
Two believed it inspired them to look more into Shamanistic/Animistic Views (both respondents indicated a preference for Studio Gibli films - Princess Mononoke, Totoro, & Pompoko) - one currently following a shamanic path.
One credited Sailor Mars' Shintoism (Sailor Moon) for putting them on a Pagan path.
One Respondent found her cosmology was subconsciously influenced by anime in general and Yu yu Hakusho in particular and derived some visualizations from Anime.
One respondent worshiped San from Princess Mononoke as a Huntress Archetype and engaged in Environmentalist Activist magic to protect wolves using San.
One Wiccan indicated they are considering using Anime forms as archetypes.
Of those reporting influence:
1 was Otaku
2 Former fans
5 Casual fans (Includes one who indicated just a fandom of specific series)
Of the top three who believed that anime had a specific influence on their spiritual life two reported being causal fans and one reported being Otaku.
Additional:
3 Reported having Reiki Training
1 Considered getting Reiki Training
1 Non-fan is an Enrolled member of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America