A recent survey conducted by Entmeet has uncovered a surprising trend: teenagers, typically seen as the primary audience for animated content, are actually the least likely age group to indulge in anime viewing.
The survey, which targeted individuals between the ages of 10 and 59 across Japan, provided insights into the evolving preferences and habits within the anime community, particularly among the younger demographic.
Contrary to popular beliefs, the survey findings unveiled that teenagers, despite being the prime target audience for anime, exhibited the lowest engagement with the medium. On the other hand, the age group that watches the most anime is in their 40s.
Entmeet suggested that the reason behind this trend could be linked to the evolving media consumption habits of Gen Z, and noted the emergence of a new phenomenon termed “Taipa” (Time Performance), wherein individuals prioritize content that maximizes entertainment value within limited time frames.
The traditional anime format of 30-minute episodes with seasons spanning 12-13 episodes might not align with their viewing preferences, thus leading to decreased consumption.
Moreover, the survey also revealed that teenagers displayed a notable inclination towards action/battle & romance genre anime.
The percentage of teenagers who chose romance was at 30.2%. The survey noted that one possible reason why the teenagers gravitated towards romance anime could be because the COVID-19 pandemic made them unable to enjoy their youth and school life.
On the other hand, action and battle anime came out on top as the anime genre that was preferred overall by the surveyed audience.
When it came to the gender wise split, men were found to be 15% more likely to watch anime than women. Genres like Action, Battle, SF, Horror and Sports were preferred by men, while women were more inclined to watch Romance and Medical genre of anime.
A total of 500 people took part in the survey. It was conducted between Jan 16, 2024 to Jan 29, 2024.
Source: Dream.jp