The net bonus income of households headed by corporate employees fell by an average of ¥100,000 this year amid the recession, a survey by a life insurance firm showed Thursday.
The survey of 500 housewives conducted in mid-June by Sompo Japan DIY Life Insurance Co. found that the after-tax bonus income of 53.6 percent of the households had fallen from a year earlier, almost two times more than in last year's survey. On average, net bonus income fell by ¥98,000 to ¥655,000.
The decline in bonus income prompted 61.8 percent of those surveyed to cancel or change plans for travel or clothing purchases.
In the survey, 61.6 percent said their lives were difficult. That number came to 56.8 percent among households with an annual income of between ¥8 million to ¥10 million, 58.7 percent among those with income between ¥6 million to ¥8 million, and 81.6 percent among those with income of less than ¥6 million.