Are Fans Happier? What 2025 Japanese Surveys Say About Life With an Oshi
“Life is more fun with an oshi.” Many fans say so, and the question is whether the numbers back them up. Over the past few years, surveys that measure oshi-katsu and happiness head-on have multiplied. Oshi-katsu means “oshi activity,” the practice of supporting your oshi, the person or character you back most, much like a K-pop fan’s “bias.”
The surveys discussed here show differences in well-being between people who do and do not participate in oshi-katsu. Businesses citing them need to check respondents and questions, distinguishing an association from proof that oshi-katsu caused an effect.
Results Differ With the Measure
ASAKO found higher happiness and self-esteem among participants than non-participants. Ponta Research’s composite well-being index instead put participants at 49.8, close to the overall average of 50.1. These different measures cannot be compared directly, and neither demonstrates that starting oshi-katsu causes happiness.
First, “Having an Oshi” and “Doing Oshi-Katsu” Are Different Numbers
The figures for the oshi-katsu population look inconsistent between surveys because each one measures something different.
| Survey | When and who | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| CDG / Oshicoco | January 2025, 23,069 people aged 15–69 | 16.7% participate, equivalent to about 13.84 million people |
| Yano Research Institute | July 2025, 10,000 people | 64.2% of the otaku segment have an “oshi” |
| Loyalty Marketing | August 2025, 9,904 people | 36.1% overall do oshi-katsu, and 59.7% of women in their 20s |
Video Research’s 2024 survey found that 62.1% of Gen Z (ages 15-26) have an oshi (Video Research, in Japanese), and annual spending varies widely by genre. It averaged about ¥48,000 for fans of Japanese idols, about ¥34,000 for musicians, about ¥27,000 for K-pop and about ¥10,000 for anime and manga (an Intage survey, published in the Ministry of Finance column; related: Video Research fan engagement survey, in Japanese). There is a clear step between “having an oshi” and “doing oshi-katsu that costs money and time,” so when you talk about happiness, you need to know which group you mean.
On the market-size side, a January 2025 survey of 23,069 people by CDG and Oshicoco reported that the oshi-katsu population rose by 2.5 million from the previous year to about 13.84 million, with a market of ¥3.5 trillion (CDG’s second oshi-katsu survey, in Japanese). In Yano Research Institute’s survey, average annual spending per person across 31 fields was ¥50,472, and the most common range was ¥10,000 to under ¥50,000 (31.3%) (Yano Research Institute consumer survey on “otaku”, in Japanese).
How Big Are the Happiness and Self-Esteem Gaps?
The most direct measure of the link between oshi-katsu and happiness is the well-being survey that ASAKO has run for five years. Its fifth round, a 60-item self-report questionnaire given to 2,800 people aged 20 to 80-something across Japan in November 2025, produced these results (ASAKO well-being survey, round 5, in Japanese).
| Indicator | Overall | Oshi-katsu participants |
|---|---|---|
| Happiness | 63.8% | 67.3% |
| Self-esteem | 43.9% | 50.6% |
ASAKO reports that participants were 3.9 percentage points higher for happiness and 7.5 points higher for self-esteem than people who did not participate. The comparison group for those reported gaps is non-participants; it is not the overall survey population shown in the table above.
The self-esteem figure is the one to watch. Overall self-esteem has stayed below 50% since round 1, yet oshi-katsu participants alone are above half, at 50.6%. The comparison does not establish whether participation raised self-esteem.
- 67.3%
- Happiness among oshi-katsu participants
- 63.8%
- Happiness overall
- 50.6%
- Self-esteem among participants
- 43.9%
- Self-esteem overall
2,800 people aged 20 to 80-something, surveyed in November 2025.
The same survey also found that overall happiness fell 3.5 points from the previous round. So the oshi-katsu group sits above an indicator that is falling across society, which is not evidence that oshi-katsu pushed happiness up.
Comfort Was the Most Frequently Reported Positive Experience
What experiences do participants report? In a survey by Loyalty Marketing in August 2025 of 9,904 Ponta Research members (3,573 of them oshi-katsu participants), the positive experience reported most frequently over the preceding month was “feeling soothed and secure,” at 35.6% (Loyalty Marketing oshi-katsu survey, in Japanese).
Ponta Research distinguishes frequency from importance. Feeling that every day is enjoyable ranked highest in importance to happiness. Comfort being the most common response does not make it everyone’s top priority.
The composite totonoi-do index was 49.8 for participants, close to the overall average of 50.1. Theme park and entertainment facility fans had the highest genre score, 51.5. The score alone does not establish that participation caused higher well-being.
- 35.6%
- Top positive: "feeling soothed and secure"
- 17.1%
- Top negative: "wasting money"
- 9,904
- Ponta Research members surveyed
- 3,573
- Of them, oshi-katsu participants
The survey was conducted in August 2025.
Source: Loyalty Marketing (in Japanese)
The Oshi Lab uses the following four perspectives to think about fan experiences. They are not causal mechanisms established by these surveys:
Oshi-katsuWhat the surveys suggest
- Emotional fulfillmentMood settles while watching
- Sense of purposeNext stream, next show
- Self-efficacySet a goal, reach it
- Social connectionShared language with friends
These are plausible mechanisms, not proven causes.
- Emotional fulfillment. Your mood settles while you’re watching
- A sense of purpose in daily life. The next stream or the next sansen (attending a show) marks out your routine
- Self-efficacy. A chance to set a goal and achieve it outside work or school
- Social connection. Conversation and a shared language with ota-tomo, your fandom friends, can be enjoyed with others
Numbers 3 and 4 overlap with the self-expansion effect covered in Why Do People Fall for Their Oshi?. Whether those experiences explain ASAKO’s self-esteem gap requires separate evidence.
The Numbers on the Other Side
The same Ponta Research survey asked participants about negative experiences during the preceding month. The experience reported by the largest proportion of respondents was “wasting money,” at 17.1%. Wasting time followed at 13.5%. In terms of the importance of resolving a problem, dissatisfaction with the oshi’s words or actions ranked highest. Frequency and importance are different questions.
It is also the downside that is easiest to act on. Set a monthly cap first, manage it apart from household finances, and put money aside for trips ahead of time. The oshi-katsu household ledger, oshi-katsu savings and saving for genba are ways to keep track of spending burdens. If you’re a student, Money and Oshi-Katsu for Students will also help you set a limit that isn’t a strain.
Correlation Exists, but We Can’t Yet Say Cause
A difference between groups does not establish its cause. Did happiness go up because people did oshi-katsu, or do people with more mental and physical capacity find it easier to start? The domestic survey comparisons discussed here do not separate the two.
Research from abroad is cautious too. A mixed-methods study published in March 2025 of 124 young people in India (mean age 20.6) found that the strength of the parasocial relationship itself showed no significant link to psychological well-being (International Journal of Adolescence and Youth (2025)). A parasocial relationship is a one-way sense of closeness to someone you know through media. In this sample, the study did not confirm a pattern in which stronger parasocial relationships went along with higher well-being. Whether the connections and sense of achievement people gain through oshi-katsu contribute to happiness is a separate question that also needs to be studied.
What we can say
- ASAKO participants score higher than non-participants
- Self-esteem gap is bigger than happiness
What we cannot say
- Whether oshi-katsu causes happiness
- Or whether happy people start it
Correlation is not causation.
Academic study has begun in Japan too. In 2024, Professor Masayuki Miyata of Tokyo Professional University of Health Sciences published “Well-being and ‘Oshikatsu’” in an academic journal (paper on J-STAGE). Research on fan psychology itself has built up in Japan since the 2000s, and Kansai University’s “The Structure of Fan Psychology” is an early example (Kansai University repository: The Structure of Fan Psychology, in Japanese). What is being measured under the new word “oshi-katsu” in fact rests on quite a long history of research.
Separate Well-Being Findings From Participation Burdens
The ASAKO survey found differences of 3.9 to 7.5 points between the groups compared. These differences alone do not show how well-being changes when spending or participation time increases. Businesses should not use them directly to justify encouraging more purchases or participation.
These are examples for fans reflecting on their activities. Business readers can use them to consider possible burdens of a campaign, but not to measure happiness or diagnose individuals.
- After oshi-katsu, your mood has recovered (you’re not worn out)
- Spending stays within the cap you set beforehand
- You’re not clearing your whole schedule of everything except your oshi
- You’re not tying the amount you spent to how strongly you feel
- Even if there are times your fervor cools, you’re not blaming yourself
The last item matters most. A cooling-off period (sameki) or an oshi-katsu hiatus isn’t a sign of failure; it’s an adjustment for keeping your well-being. If the strain goes on for a long time and interferes with daily life, don’t try to handle it with oshi-katsu tweaks alone. Use the consultation services of a medical institution or local government (in Japan). This article is general information and not diagnosis or treatment advice.
Recent Developments
In 2025, oshi-katsu moved from a matter of mood to something to be measured. In August, Loyalty Marketing conducted a survey built around happiness and well-being (published in January 2026), and in November ASAKO ran its fifth-year benchmark survey, which compared participation and well-being (the cited explanatory article was published on April 24, 2026). In January, CDG and Oshicoco put the market size at ¥3.5 trillion, and in November the Ministry of Finance’s public relations magazine Finance ran a feature on oshi-katsu as an economic trend (Ministry of Finance, Finance, November 2025 issue, in Japanese). On the policy side too, well-being is an area the Cabinet Office has surveyed continuously since around 2019 (Cabinet Office survey on satisfaction and quality of life, in Japanese).
To think about causation, you would need to follow the same people over time and look at how things change before and after they start oshi-katsu, as well as differences in their living circumstances. A comparison of happiness at a single point in time can’t pin down an effect.
Notes From The Oshi Lab: Measure Recovery, Not Heat
When companies and clubs measure the effect of fan initiatives, the easy metrics are purchase amounts, visit counts and viewing time. Ponta Research found comfort was the most frequently experienced positive item, while feeling that every day is enjoyable ranked highest in importance. Purchase amounts measure spending, not affection or satisfaction directly.
The Oshi Lab suggests asking about satisfaction and burdens alongside sales. What was enjoyable, and what was difficult? Questions about waiting time, satisfaction with spending and willingness to return may reveal experiences that sales alone cannot. These group comparisons cannot predict next year’s fan numbers.
People who spend little time or money are also fans. They should have room to choose how to participate. Free access, events that welcome solo visitors and memberships that allow a pause and return are options to consider. Businesses can ask what felt satisfying or burdensome in each form of participation and assess those answers alongside spending and viewing time. Group-level differences in well-being should not be used to infer an individual fan’s emotional capacity.
Related articles: Why Do People Fall for Their Oshi? The Psychology of Reward, Parasocial Bonds and Self-Expansion / What Is the Right Distance From Your Oshi? How to Enjoy Them Without Getting Too Close / What Is Oshi-Katsu Fatigue? Five Moments When Your Oshi Becomes an “Obligation” / How to Keep an Oshi-Katsu Household Ledger, With a Budget Template
FAQ
Are people who do oshi-katsu happier?
Results depend on the survey and measure. In ASAKO's 2025 survey, oshi-katsu participants scored 67.3% for happiness, 3.9 points above non-participants, and 50.6% for self-esteem, 7.5 points above. A separate survey did not place participants above the overall average on its composite measure.
Will oshi-katsu make you happy?
The data confirms a correlation, not a cause. The comparisons discussed here do not establish whether oshi-katsu raises happiness or whether people with some spare energy find it easier to get into oshi-katsu.
What is the emotion people get most from oshi-katsu?
In an August 2025 survey of 9,904 people by Loyalty Marketing, the top positive experience was "feeling soothed and secure," at 35.6%. That measures how many people experienced it; feeling that every day is enjoyable ranked highest in importance.
What is the most common downside of oshi-katsu?
In the same survey, the top negative experience was "wasting money," at 17.1%. For importance of resolving the problem, dissatisfaction with the oshi’s words or actions ranked highest.
Does happiness rise the more money and time you put in?
These group comparisons cannot establish how happiness changes when someone increases spending or participation time.
