【Research Report】Study on Hometown Tax Experience 2024
Summary
◆ The appeal of the hometown tax lies in discovering "thank-you gifts"
The year from April 2023 to March 2024, the most common donation behavior for the hometown tax is "searching for thank-you gifts and then donating" (67.6%).
The top benefits of starting the hometown tax are "tax deductions" (48.5%), followed by "receiving quality thank-you gifts and feeling satisfied" (43.8%).
When choosing thank-you gifts, people found joy in "discovering unknown local specialties" (40.4%) and "finding famous local products" (33.2%).
◆ The number of people becoming fans of specific regions through the hometown tax increased by 12 points compared to the previous survey, with high-quality thank-you gifts being the catalyst. This also leads to people choosing food origins in daily shopping and donating during disasters.
Over 70% of people have experiences of "learning about unknown municipalities" and "discovering unknown local specialties" through the hometown tax. Furthermore, 52.7% of people "became fans of specific regions due to donations," an increase of 11.8 points from the previous survey.
Among those who became fans of specific regions, the most common reason is "the quality of the thank-you gifts was good" (69.7%). Actions taken by those who became fans included "donating again through the hometown tax and receiving thank-you gifts" (54.9%), followed by "choosing food products from that region when shopping" and "donating for disaster relief" (25.8% and 25.3% respectively).
◆ The value of the hometown tax is recognized not only as donations to municipalities but also as "contributions to local economies"
Regarding the positive impacts of the hometown tax on regions, the most common response is "increasing financial resources for municipalities" (62.4%), followed by "increasing sales for businesses and producers" (45.2%). 89.6% of people think that the hometown tax is "beneficial for regions and Japan" (sum of "strongly agree" and "somewhat agree").
82.9% of people find it "attractive" that they can choose where their hometown tax donations go (sum of "very attractive" and "somewhat attractive").
The detailed report in Japanese is available.
◆Research target ：
1,095 aged 20 over living in Japan, who have experience with the hometown tax.
◆Research period ： July 9-10, 2024
◆Research method： Internet research