Informed Consent

Dear Respondent,

We are conducting a study the purpose of which is to identify the image that Americans have of Japan as a country and tourist destination. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation in completing the questionnaires that follows.


PLEASE NOTE:
     •    This survey is intended for people aged 18 years or older. If you are under the age of 18, please do not continue.
     •    This survey is completely voluntary. You may skip any question if you do not feel comfortable and discontinue participation at any time.
     •    The questionnaire is anonymous. You do not need to identify yourself or write your name anywhere in this questionnaire.
     •    Please answer questions candidly and to the best of your ability.
     •    There will be no compensation provided for participation.
     •    Data will be analyzed in an aggregate form and individual participants’ results will not be disclosed to anyone.
     •    The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
     •    Your privacy and research records will be kept anonymous to the full extent of law. Authorized research personnel, employees of the Rosen College, the            University of Central Florida (UCF) Institutional Review Board (IRB) and its staff and other individuals acting on behalf of UCF, may inspect records from            this research project.
     •    The aggregate results of this study will be shared with the study’s sponsors and may be published. The published results will not include your name or any           other information that would personally identify you in any way.
     •    Research at UCF involving human participants is carried out under the oversight of the IRB. Questions or concerns about research participants’ rights may            be directed to UCF IRB office at the University of Central Florida, Office of Research & Commercialization, 12201, Research Parkway, Suite 501,           Orlando, FL 32826-3246.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. We sincerely appreciate your participation. Your time and effort in helping us gather information is greatly appreciated and will ultimately help professionals in higher education to improve course contents.

Sincerely,

Abraham Pizam, PhD
Dean & Professor,
Rosen College of Hospitality Management,
University of Central Florida
Tadayuki Hara, PhD
Associate Dean & Associate Professor
Rosen College of Hospitality Management,
University of Central Florida,
thara@mail.ucf.edu, Phone: 407-903-8174

 

 

Image and Travel Destination Survey - Japan

Part 1 - The Image of Japan

In the following section, we would like to inquire a general image of Japan in your mind.

1     When you hear “Japan”, what is the image that comes to your mind?

      1-1    Food (sushi, chopsticks etc)
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-2   Old Culture (samurai, geisha, kabuki, sumo etc)
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-3   Contemporary Culture (anime, manga, karaoke, school girl uniforms)
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-4   High technology
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-5   Desirable tourism destination
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-6  Advanced science
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-7   Longevity (long life)
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-8   Modern literature
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-9   Unique movies
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-10  Modern products
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-11   People's manner
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-12   ”Character goods” (themed product like hello kitty etc)
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-13   Spirituality (Zen etc)
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-14  Mountainous scenery
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
      1-15   Ocean/sea scenery
Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely
1-16
 High Speed Rail (also known as Shinkansen)
  Highly likely likely maybe unlikely highly unlikely

For the following questions (2 to 9), please choose the number that best represents your level of agreement/Disagreement with the following statements

      2   “Airfare to Japan is too expensive compared with other destinations”
  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.
 
      3 “Transportation costs in Japan are too expensive compared with those in other countries”
  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.
 
      4   “Prices of hotels in Japan are too expensive compared with those in the USA or other countries”
  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.
 
      5  “Japan as a tourist destination is similar to Korea and China in terms of culture”
  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.
 
      6   “Japan as a tourist destination is similar to Western Europe in terms of modern amenities”
  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.
 
      7  “Japan as a tourist destination is similar to Korea and China in terms of modern amenities”
  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.
 
      8  “I will be afraid of language barriers when I travel to Japan”
  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.
 
      9   “Travel information on Japan in English is less available compared with European countries”
  Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree.
 

Which of the followings factors would be important to you if you were to visit Japan? Please choose the degree of importance for each factor.

      10   Local food
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      11   Large metropolitan cities
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      12   Natural beauty & landscape
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      13   Traditional cultures
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      14   Modern designs of (tangible products, such as cars, buildings, and electronics)
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      15   Contemporary fashion trends
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      16   Modern popular culture (anime, manga)
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      17   UNESCO World Heritage Sites (i.e. temples in Kyoto etc)
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      18   Level of personal safety and security
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      19   Cleanliness of cities and public spaces
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      20  Reliable transportation networks
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      21   Accommodations with modern amenities
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      22   Restaurants with Western foods
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      23   Availability of English Signs
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      24   Affordable Accommodations
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      25   Availability of various forms of entertainment
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      26   Availability of night life
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      27  Availability of Cultural Attractions
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      28   Friendly and hospitable hosts
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      29  Being able to communicate with locals in English
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 
      30 Being able to understand historical backgrounds of local events in English
  Highly Important Important Neutral Not so Important Least Important
 

 

Part 2 - Questions about yourself

 

      31   What is your gender?
  Male Female
32
 What is your race?
  African American
  Hispanic
  Native American
  White
  Pacific Islander
  Asian
  Other, please specify
33
 What is your highest level of education? If you are student, please choose a degree for which you are working for
  Primary
  Secondary/high school
  Associate
  Bachelor
  Master
  Doctorate
  Other, please specify
34
 What is your household annual income?
  Under $10,000
  $10,000-$14,999
  $15,000-24,999
  $25,000–34,999
  $35,000-49,999
  $50,000-74,999
  $75,000-99,999
  $100,000-149,999
  Over $150,000
35
 What is your age group?
  18-20
  21~29
  30~39
  40~49
  50~59
  60~69
  70 or more
36
 What is the county of your residence? Please type your 5 digit zip code:
37
 Are you:
  Single without children
  Married without children
  Single with children
  Married with children
38
 Are you employed?
  Yes full-time
  Yes part-time
  No, but I am looking for a job
  No, I am retired
39
 How many times in the last 10 years have you traveled outside the USA for business or pleasure?
  did not travel
  1-3 times
  4-6 times
  7-9 times
  More than 10 times,
  I am a foreign citizen and travel frequently to my country.
      40   Do you speak any foreign language other than English?
  Yes No
41
 Have you ever traveled to Japan?
  did not travel
  1-3 times
  4-6 times
  7-9 times
  More than 10 times,
  I lived in Japan for more than 1 year.
42
 Have you ever traveled to Asia other than Japan?
  did not travel
  1-3 times
  4-6 times
  7-9 times
  More than 10 times,
  I lived in Asia for more than 1 year.
      43  Have you studied Japanese (Nihongo)?
  Yes No      
44
 Given that you have sufficient funds and time to travel overseas, what is the likelihood that you will travel to Japan in the next 12 months?
  Highly likely Somewhat likely Neutral Somewhat unlikely Highly unlikely
 
45
 Japan has “Yokoso Japan” campaign. What would it sound to your ears?
  Highly familiar
  Somewhat familiar and friendly
  I do not have any opinion
  Somewhat unclear and unfriendly
  Highly unclear and unfriendly

 

Part 3 - Open-ended Question

 

      46

Please write down any comments that you would like to express regarding Japan and/or Japan as a travel destination
 

Thank you very much for your cooperation.
JITI will have an exclusive webpage from which you can view the result of
the survey in a couple of months after the completion of collection of your
anonymous questionnaires.

URL: http://www.japantransport.com/seminar/survey/
Password: jiti2010

Please keep this password for future access to the result webpage.