Young people who perceive their belongings as assets are less likely to throw things away compared to older people.

Mercari Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Mercari) conducted a survey on "Japan's 'Personal Belongings Assets'" under the supervision of Nanko Kuga, a senior researcher at the Nissay Foundation Research Institute's Lifestyle Research Department.

According to a survey by Tokyo Shoko Research, the number of food items whose prices have increased in 2024 has exceeded 0.01 million items. Furthermore, an increase in prices for 1,000 items is planned for 2025, indicating a continuing trend of rising prices, and consumers are increasingly required to be smart in shopping and saving to protect their household finances.
On the other hand, Mercari's survey revealed that more than half of Generation Z responded that "their belongings are easy to liquidate," indicating that they perceive their possessions as assets with the intent to buy and sell, and that they are smart about shopping.
In light of this situation, in order to assist household finance protection, a survey was conducted to reassess the value of owned items, and the value of these belongings, converted into monetary terms, has been calculated as "personal belongings assets."

[Result Summary]

The total amount of "Japan's 'Personal Belongings Assets'" calculated by converting the items at home into monetary value is estimated at approximately 216 trillion 392.5 billion yen.
~The average amount of personal belongings assets per person is approximately 1.824 million yen~

The breakdown of "assets per capita" shows that "clothing and accessories" account for the largest portion at 33.6%.

The average amount of "assets per household" is approximately 3.56 million yen.

By age group, the number of "assets held" is highest among those in their 60s, averaging about 528.2 items, while those in their teens to 20s have the lowest average of about 239.2 items.
Among these, the proportion of unnecessary items not used for more than a year is the highest at 20.7% for those in their 60s, while the lowest is 10.3% for those in their teens to 20s.

Younger individuals tend to have a stronger inclination towards not discarding items compared to older individuals.
The difference in the percentage of those who have discarded fashion items as trash over the last three years is a maximum of 24.7 percentage points.

Regarding "assets held",

the quantity survey of items retained in households, regardless of usage, is defined as "assets held" by converting the value of personal belongings into monetary terms based on the average transaction price on "Mercari".
※1: October 31, 2024, Teikoku Databank Inc. 'Survey on Price Revision Trends of 195 Major Food Companies'

※2: August 7, 2023, Mercari Inc. 'Survey on Generational Consumer Behavior and Asset Perception'

※3: For the items targeted in this survey, please refer to 'Survey Target Items'.

【Survey Supervision】

Naoko Kuga, Senior Researcher, Living Research Department, Nissay Basic Research Institute.
After working at NTT Docomo Inc., joined Nissay Basic Research Institute in 2010. Has been in the current position since July 2021. Specializes in consumer behavior and serves as a committee member for statistics-related matters for the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Analyzes changes in daily life using statistics.

■ Comments
In recent years, the spread of flea market apps has led to a growing awareness of perceiving possessions as assets in consumer behavior. Out of approximately 300 trillion yen in annual personal consumption, spending related to possessions such as clothing, gaming, and books amounts to about 20 trillion yen.*4 Additionally, this survey estimates the total value of possessions accumulated in households to be around 200 trillion yen. This means that Japanese households have assets equivalent to ten years' worth of purchases of possessions accumulated in one year.
Until now, the awareness of resale value was limited to high-priced items such as automobiles and housing, but it is now spreading to everyday goods and hobby items, creating an environment where regular consumers can easily buy and sell items. Particularly among Generation Z, actions stand out where individuals sell possessions they own and combine their value with cash for new purchasing funds.
Furthermore, this survey revealed that younger individuals have a lower possession rate of unnecessary items and are more likely to choose selling or transferring unnecessary items rather than throwing them away compared to older generations. They minimize the items that become unnecessary and consider the future cashability of objects from the time of purchase, which can be seen as a lifestyle conscious of the circulation of goods beyond the mindset of saving.
The era has now arrived where asset value can be found in all items. If many people can recognize this potential, society as a whole will become wealthier. The enjoyment and practical benefits derived from selling or transferring items not only enrich individual consumer behavior but also contribute to the realization of a circular economy where goods are circulated. It is expected that as the secondary distribution market develops further and the value of items as assets is widely recognized, the realization of a sustainable society will accelerate even more.
*4: Reference: Estimates by Nissay Foundation Research Institute from Cabinet Office 'GDP Statistics' and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 'Household Survey'.

Survey Overview
Survey period: October 11, 2024 (Friday) to October 15, 2024 (Tuesday).
Survey Method: Internet Survey
Survey subjects: 2,400 men and women aged 10 to 60.

Regarding the surveyed items.
The number of possessions corresponding to the following five classifications and a total of 36 categories was investigated.

1. Fashion accessories... Tops, bottoms, shoes, watches, bags, etc., a total of 12 categories.
2. Books, music, gaming... Books, comics, CDs, gaming software, etc., a total of 5 categories.
3. Beauty and health... Makeup, skincare products, perfumes, diet products, etc., a total of 4 categories.
4. Hobbies (hobby and leisure)... Toys, outdoor goods, automobiles, etc., a total of 8 categories.
5. Furniture, home appliances, miscellaneous goods... PCs, smart phones, furniture, etc., a total of 7 categories.

Details of the survey results.

The total estimated value of "Japan's assets held" calculated by monetary value of items stored in households is approximately 216 trillion 392.5 billion yen.
The average amount of "assets held" per citizen is approximately 1.824 million yen.
An investigation into the average number of items and unwanted goods in 36 categories by demographic revealed that the total value of "assets held" in households across japan amounts to approximately 216 trillion 392.5 billion yen. The average "assets held" per citizen was calculated to be about 1.824 million yen.

The breakdown of "assets held" per citizen shows that "clothing and accessories" accounts for the largest share at 33.6%.
It was found that the breakdown of "assets held" shows that "clothing and accessories" accounts for the largest proportion at 33.6%, followed by "hobbies (leisure)" at 27.5% and "furniture, home appliances, and miscellaneous goods" at 19.6%.

The average value of "held assets" per household is approximately 3.56 million yen.
After dividing the total amount of "held assets" by the number of households in japan, the average "held assets" per household was calculated to be approximately 3.56 million yen.
Based on the survey results, when calculating "held assets" by household composition, single-person households had approximately 1.797 million yen, couples in their 20s and 30s had about 2.516 million yen, families with couples and children (under 15 years old) had about 3.936 million yen, and couples in their 50s and 60s had about 4.547 million yen.

In terms of the number of "held assets" by age group, those in their 60s had the highest average at approximately 528.2 items, while those in their teens to 20s had the lowest average at about 239.2 items. The proportion of unnecessary items not used for more than a year was highest among those in their 60s at 20.7%, and lowest among those in their teens to 20s at 10.3%.
Looking at the number of "held assets" by age group, those in their 60s had the highest average at approximately 528.2 items, and those in their teens to 20s had the lowest average at about 239.2 items. Additionally, the proportion of unnecessary items not used for more than a year among "held assets" was highest among those in their 60s at 20.7%, and lowest among those in their teens to 20s at 10.3%.

Younger generations tend to have a stronger inclination to "not throw away" compared to older generations.
In the last three years, the percentage of fashion items discarded varied by as much as 24.7 points.
When asked about how they organized fashion items in the last three years, by age group, the highest response for "discarded" was from those in their 60s at 78.3%. In contrast, those in their teens and 20s had the lowest rate at 53.6%, resulting in a difference of 24.7 points compared to those in their 60s.

Furthermore, the highest percentage for "sold" was among those in their 30s at 35.8%. This was followed by teens to 20s at 29.8% and those in their 40s at 27.6%. Comparing the lowest percentage from those in their 60s to the highest from those in their 30s, there was a difference of 19.1 points.

Calculation Method

1. Set survey samples according to the household composition ratio in japan.
Classified japan into seven blocks: "Hokkaido and Tohoku", "Kanto (excluding Tokyo)", "Tokyo", "Chubu", "Kinki", "china and Shikoku", and "Kyushu and Okinawa". Allocated the sample composition ratio for household members within the seven blocks to match the general household numbers for each prefecture and household member ratio from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2020 Census basic population aggregate, conducting an internet survey targeting a total of 2,400 samples of men and women aged 10 to 60.

2. Investigate the total quantity of personal belongings and unwanted items in number units.
Investigate how many items classified into 5 categories of "clothing and accessories", "books, music, and gaming", "beauty and health", "hobbies (hobby and leisure)", and "home appliances, furniture, and miscellaneous goods" are owned in the home.

3. Calculate the "asset of belongings" per person by gender and age group.
From the survey results, calculate the average number of belongings and unwanted items by gender and age group for each of the 36 categories. Multiply these figures by the average trade price on "Mercari" for each of the 36 categories (based on data from January 2023 to December 2023) to calculate the average per person "asset of belongings" by gender and age group.

4. Calculate the total amount of "asset of belongings" in japan.
Multiply the average "asset of belongings" per person by gender and age group by the population of japan by gender and age group, and calculate the total as the "asset of belongings".

About the statistics referenced.
Population by gender and age group.
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau "Population Estimate" [Confirmed value for April 2024 (Reiwa 6), Estimated value for September 2024 (Reiwa 6)] (Published on September 20, 2024)

Total population of japan and total number of households.
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications "Population, Population Dynamics and Number of Households based on the Basic Resident Register" (as of January 1, Reiwa 5)