Doctors and nursery school teachers are among the most popular jobs among girls who are entering elementary school in Japan, an annual survey showed Tuesday, perhaps reflecting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their young minds.

Police officer remained the top pick for boys for the second year in a row, while the job was also a popular choice among girls, ranking in fifth, according to the survey by Kuraray Co., a supplier of synthetic leather used to make school backpacks.

In the latest survey, doctors, nursery school teachers and police were among the jobs that were more popular this year than last for girls.

A Kuraray representative attributed this to "heightened attention on essential workers deemed indispensable to people's lives amid the coronavirus pandemic," without elaborating.

Baker and cake shop owner accounted for 26.4% and retained the top spot for girls for the 24th year in a row, according to the survey, which began in 1999 and covered 2,000 girls and 2,000 boys whose guardians bought its backpacks.

For girls, doctor moved up to fourth from seventh last year and police officer moved up one spot from sixth, with both careers at record highs, while nursery school teacher climbed to sixth from 10th.

Boys who voted police officer as their dream job accounted for 16.8%, followed by 16.1% saying they want to be a professional athlete — perhaps a reflection of the impact of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics held last year.

YouTuber ranked at a record-high sixth for boys at 5.1%, up one spot from last year, likely a result of children increasingly watching the video-sharing website from an early age.