Common Conceptions and Acceptance of Homeless People: A Questionnaire Study of the Citizens of Sapporo, Japan

Objective: To study public awareness and conceptions about homeless people. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to citizens of Sapporo by mail. Four hundred seventy-two of 1,450 residents randomly selected (response rate, 32.1%) replied a self-administered questionnaire. Results: One of the survey questions asked respondents to list common ailments that they assumed would afflict homeless people to a greater degree than the general public. There responses were as follows: diarrhea (331, 70.1%), common cold (312, 66.1%), dysentery (281, 59.5%), and alcoholism (235, 49.8%). In contrast, respondents were asked to note diseases that they assumed would be less likely to affect the homeless, and their responses were as follows: hypercholesteremia (216, 45.8%), diabetes mellitus (210, 44.5%), and drug addiction (157, 33.3%). Respondents tended to agree with the following statements: "Homeless people destroy the scenery of the city" (328, 69.5%); "Homeless people stink" (325, 68.9%); and "Homeless people should improve their present situation by themselves" (321, 68.0%). They tended to disagree with the following statements: "People become homeless primarily because of health problems" (370, 78.4%); "Homeless people are involved in the trafficking of narcotic drugs and stimulants" (337, 71.4%); and "Homeless people are frightening" (287, 60.8%). Conclusion: The present results suggest that there are significant differences between the citizens’ conceptions about the homeless and the reality of the homeless in Sapporo. Follow-up studies in other cities and actions to educate the general public would be necessary to establish measures for dealing with the problem of the homeless in Japan.