New findings on metaverse use and awareness from Mitsubishi Research Institute survey

83% know of it, 5.5% use it

26 April 2023

Japanese version: 30 March 2023

Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.

Tokyo, Japan (March 30, 2023)—Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. published research results on use and awareness of the metaverse. Researchers conducted a survey in December 2022 to get an overview of the metaverse in Japan and received responses from 10,000 participants. Findings point to the importance of balancing the value offered by viewing experiences and immersive experiences to achieve success with metaverse businesses.

In January 2021, Mitsubishi Research Institute proposed that a triad of transformations were on the rise. 3X, as they were collectively dubbed, comprises digital transformation (DX), bio-transformation (BX), and communication transformation (CX). The metaverse survey is part of larger research efforts on virtual technology (V-tec), the foundation for CX in the 2030s.

Researchers compared the results of the survey with past studies of similar nature, including June 2022 data from the Mitsubishi Research Institute Market Intelligence & Forecast (mif)*. The comparison shed light on rising awareness, reaching 83% as of December 2022, and a stagnant rate of use hovering around 5%.

[Figure] Awareness and use of the metaverse in Japan over time

Source: Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.

Key findings:

83% of respondents had heard of the metaverse
Just under 12% had been able to explain the metaverse to others—more than double the nearly 5% as of June 2022
5.5% had actually used it
Just over 30% of users use it more than once a month
Gender stands at a 3:7 ratio of women to men for both awareness and use
60% list mobile devices as their main means of access and 20% list desktop devices; both are primarily used for viewing the metaverse. The remaining 20% list VR-devices, including simplified forms, which are used for immersive experiences
When allowed multiple answers, gaming, music, and shopping were frequently cited as ways in which the metaverse is currently being used. While many see themselves using it for gaming in the future, there has been a substantial increase in respondents who foresee use in education, healthcare, and meetings with those far away

The results show the importance of enhancing the experience value of mobile viewing devices, such as smartphones and tablets, for metaverse businesses to see the most immediate success.

Mobile and desktop devices see widespread use for games, music, and sports. In the future, it will be important to retain the advantages of current online services while adding experience value unique to the metaverse, such as representation of objects in a 3D space and communication through avatars.

Online services have only recently reached a stage of widespread use for education and meetings, and effective uses of the viewable metaverse in these domains are still under exploration. Pioneering the market for these domains will require clarification of the unique value that the metaverse offers.

Immersive metaverse has garnered high expectations for its long-term prospects. Businesses can gain from enhancing their R&D efforts as a means of investing in their future.

Metaverse businesses are poised for significant growth over the medium to long term if they are able to find the right balance between the value offered by their viewing and immersive experiences.

Mitsubishi Research Institute published these findings to serve as a reference for businesses considering how to utilize and commercialize the metaverse.

About the Mitsubishi Research Institute:

The Mitsubishi Research Institute is one of Japan’s foremost think tanks. For the last 50 years, it has provided the public and private sectors with research and consulting services in fields spanning the environment, energy, healthcare, and digital transformation. This is accompanied by policy recommendations and the real-world application of solutions. Mitsubishi Research Institute will continue to envision the future, resolve societal issues, and lead change to build a sustainable and prosperous world. For more information, please visit: www.mri.co.jp/en/

Overview of Survey

Subjects: registered participants in the Mitsubishi Research Institute Market Intelligence & Forecast (mif) questionnaire panel
Method: internet survey
Respondent age: 16 to 89
Number of respondents: 10,000 (5000 women and 5000 men)
Date: 22 December 2022 to 23 December 2022

Works Cited

*Mitsubishi Research Institute (June 2022) Market Intelligence & Forecast (mif) (Japanese)

†Dentsu (December 2022) “Dentsu Conducts Its ‘Awareness of the Metaverse Survey 2022’”
https://www.dentsu.co.jp/en/news/release/2022/1222-010579.html (Accessed: 13 March 2023)

‡PwC Japan (June 2022) “Metaverse moves from virtual space for game entertainment to business application phase” (Japanese)
https://www.pwc.com/jp/ja/knowledge/thoughtleadership/metaverse-business-survey.html (Accessed: 13 March 2023)

§Mobile Marketing Data Labo (May 2022) “Experience with metaverse 5.1%, awareness 43.4%. Among those with experience, 60.0% have shopped and spent money within the metaverse” (Japanese)
https://mmdlabo.jp/investigation/detail_2062.html (Accessed: 13 March 2023)

¶ Just Systems Corporation “About 30% of people who know of both the metaverse and NFTs have used the metaverse before” (Japanese) Marketing Research Camp
https://www.justsystems.com/jp/marketing-research/report/fa_report-metaverse/ (Accessed: 13 March 2023)

Contact Us

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Center for Advanced Technology
Think Tank Unit
Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
10-3 Nagatacho 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8141, Japan
Email: mri_atc@ml.mri.co.jp

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Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
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