People in Japan are less frustrated if forced to wait in public places compared with a decade ago, and smartphones are helping them kill time, a recent survey by Citizen Holdings Co. found.

In April, the watchmaker asked 400 businesspeople in their 20s to 50s who use smartphones how long it takes until they are frustrated by certain situations — from waiting for trains to being seated at restaurants to dealing with administrative institutions.

According to the poll released June 3, 67 percent of respondents said waiting in lines at administrative institutions for five to 15 minutes makes them irritated. This is much less, however, compared with the 2003 survey, when 83 percent responded similarly.