A recent survey on Japanese citizens’ winter bonus spending plans reveals that the proportion of people planning to save their bonuses has hit a historic low, reflecting the challenges faced in maintaining basic living expenses.

Tokyo-based Loyalty Marketing Inc. (operator of the Ponta points service) released its latest survey results on October 29. The survey, which began in 2014, was conducted online in late September with 3,000 Ponta survey website members aged 20 and above participating.

When asked about winter bonus usage plans (multiple answers allowed), excluding 47.7% of respondents who indicated “will not receive a bonus or uncertain” (up 0.7 percentage points year-on-year), “savings” was the most common response at 33.5%. However, this percentage has been declining steadily since 40.5% in 2019. By age group, those in their 30s showed the largest decrease in savings intention, dropping 5.9 percentage points to 38.3%.

Following savings, “accommodation travel” ranked second at 6.7%, unchanged from last year, while “daily necessities” came third at 6.4%, up 0.9 percentage points year-on-year. Other options included “dining out” and “workplace asset accumulation savings plans,” though none showed significant growth compared to the previous year.

Regarding expectations for 2023 winter bonuses compared to the previous year, 15.5% expected an increase, exceeding the 12.5% who anticipated a decrease, while 64.6% expected “no change.” In terms of household bonus amounts, the largest group at 22.1% indicated “between 200,000 yen (approximately $1,300) and 400,000 yen (approximately $2,600),” followed by “400,000 to 600,000 yen (approximately $3,900)” at 20.9%, and “less than 200,000 yen” at 17.6%.

Despite declining savings intentions, spending categories other than daily necessities showed no significant increase. A Loyalty Marketing public relations representative suggested that bonuses “may primarily be used for daily expenses such as food,” reflecting the ongoing pressure on household budgets amid rising prices.

Key Summary:

• Japanese winter bonus savings intention hits historic low.
• People in their 30s show the most significant decline in savings intention.
• Spending on daily necessities shows slight increase.
• Majority of respondents expect bonus amounts to remain unchanged from previous year.
• Survey results reflect the impact of inflation on household spending.