ATTITUDES OF JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS TOWARD THE MILITARY

In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 26, Heft 2, S. 249-253

Abstract

Studies of occup'al choice in the US have usually been directed towards problems of guidance counseling, & studies of occup'al prestige ranking are ordinarily related to stratification theory. Such studies can also be used for insight into the orientations of adolescent society at a given period, with a view to aiding prediction of directions in which a society is developing. In 1958, 248 M & 288 HSch seniors were given an occupational choice & prestige ranking [7]. Of these 358 were from 2 centralized HSch's in provincial areas; 178 were from 2 diff. kinds of Sch's in Tokyo. They were asked to rank 23 occup's in terms of (1) prestige, (2) income, (3) importance with respect to the functioning of society, & (4) desirability, in terms of whether or not the S would consider entering the occup on graduation. Since WWII, observers have watched the att's of the Japanese people toward war & the military. The occup 'soldier' is ranked 19 in the list of it is estimated to receive. Not even a relatively good perceived income is enough to lend the occup prestige. In terms of the functional necessity of this occup, it is ranked next-to-last, just above the universally scorned occup of 'pol'al boss.' The [7] also asked what occup the R would choose if he were completely free in making his decision, & what occup he actually planned to pursue upon graduation. Not a single R's listed a military occup, & 90% said that they would under no circumstances consider becoming soldiers. The data are conclusive; these HSch seniors, hold military pursuits in very low esteem. AA.