TV, fixed Internet top information sources in Japan following disaster

"After the events in March, people relied on a variety of media sources for the latest information and developments," said Daizo Nishitani, comScore vice president for Japan. "TV, fixed Internet, radio and mobile phones were all critical communication channels across the country in the days and weeks following the events. The media sources that were most important and useful during this time were heavily influenced by both people's age and regional location, underscoring the fragmented nature of media consumption in Japan."

Television found to be most important information source after disaster

When asked how important various information sources were for obtaining updates after the earthquake and tsunami, 83% of people ranked television as very important, while 72% cited Internet access through a personal computer. Radio broadcasts were very important for 66% of people, while 49% specified the use of mobile phones.

The importance of media sources varied considerably across age segments. Compared to older consumers, younger users found PC Internet and mobile devices more important as information sources after the disaster. Approximately78% of people age 35-44 cited the fixed Internet as very important, accounting for the largest percentage of users ranking this medium as very important. Mobile phones were ranked as very important by more than half of users age 13-34, demonstrating the importance of this medium among younger consumers.

In contrast, television and radio broadcasts were more important sources of information for users in older age segments. Within 55-64-year-olds, 90% ranked TV as very important, as did 91% of those 65 and older. Radio was ranked as very important by 75% of people age 55-64 and 78% of people age 65 and older.

36.5 million turn to their mobile phone for information

An analysis of how people utilised their mobile devices in Japan found that 36.5 million people accessed information on their mobile phones following the earthquake and tsunami, representing 36.2% of the mobile population in Japan. Of those that utilised their mobile devices, 72% used their mobile browser, 26% watched television or video on their mobile, 24% received text or email alerts, while 6% used a mobile application.

Online newspaper sites see visitation grow 30%

An analysis of fixed Internet usage revealed a pronounced increase in visitors to online newspaper sites in March. From February 2011 to March 2011, category visitation jumped 30% to nearly 32.6 million unique visitors as people turned to the web for the latest national news. Each of the top 10 newspaper sites saw visitation grow by at least double-digits during the month. Asahi Shimbun was the most-visited newspaper destination reaching 14.2 million people, more than doubling its visitor base from February. Mainichi Shimbun followed at 13.5 million (up 47%) with Sankei Shimbun reaching 13 million visitors (up 30%).

*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.