The Japanese Version of the General Procrastination Scale: Factor Structure Differences in an Asian Population

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the Japanese version of General Procrastination Scale (J-GPS) previously created by Hayashi (2007), with a large, varied sample of Japanese adults. The paper-and-pencil surveys were distributed to Japanese people who lived in the large-, medium-, and small-sized cities who lived in Japan. Participants were recruited by the first author during a two-month period. The final sample was 2,564 Japanese citizens: 1,048 (40.9%) men and 1,516 (59.1%) women with a mean age of 44.3 years old (SD = 1.91). Participants reported demographic information including age, gender, marital status, married years, number of children, educational status, occupational types, worked years, living areas, whether considering themselves as procrastinator, and whether others considering them as procrastinator. Results showed that a two-factor solution was the best fit, duplicating studies with Turkish, Italian, and Greek populations, but in contrast to a uni-dimensional structure suggested originally by Lay (1986) or adapted in Spanish sample. Moreover, we investigated rates of self-reported procrastination in relation to a collective culture, which has mixed individualistic tendencies. Participants with strong individualistic tendencies were not significantly different on J-GPS scores, compared to those with little tendencies on individualistic characteristics. Our results added significant evidence to previous studies of General Procrastination. Future research in non-English speaking countries, especially in Asian countries, using a general procrastination measure might be helpful for further comparison to ascertain cultural differences in task delay perception.