Japan: Children prefer to be VTubers rather than doctors

Japan is one of the most incredible countries in the world. This is not only because it has provided one of the richest cultures of all, but also because its news is so impressive and bizarre that it goes viral. And one surprising fact is a study conducted on young people to find out what they want to be when they grow up. More specifically, what was striking was when the youngest children were asked. They were more likely to prefer being VTubers than doctors and other more mainstream professions.

VTubers in Japan are a boom that affects the youngest

The survey was conducted in early 2025 in Japan by the Nifty Kids website, which surveyed more than 2,300 (2,313 to be exact) children. Among the age ranges, they met with children from 1st to 6th grade, as well as high school students from 7th to 9th grade. The question was simple: What do you want to be when you grow up?, and the surprise on the part of the pollsters couldn't have been more evident. More than 4% of the children wanted to be VTubers, much more than the 3.5% who wanted to be doctors. These were the official numbers:

• School teacher – 6.5%
• Illustrator – 5.8%
• Utaite (singers) – 5.2%
• Vtuber – 4.6%
• Actor/actress/model – 4.3%
• YouTuber – 3.5%
• Doctor – 3.5%
• Idol – 3.5%
• Musician – 3.4%
• Nursery teacher and civil servant – 3.2% each

Although younger Japanese children prefer more familiar positions, such as school teachers or even illustrators, the trend toward new jobs is evident. Not only is the VTuber position surprising, but they also consider becoming YouTubers or idols.

Although the youngest want to be VTubers, teenagers have clearer ideas.

And while younger people dream of becoming VTubers over other types of professions more common in Japan, these responses change when asked of young adults. This can be seen in high school students in grades 7-9, where we see a significant change in their future decisions:

• Teacher (9.5%)
• Pharmacist (6.4%)
• Public servant (5.3%)
• Musician (4.8%)
• Voice actor/actress (4.3%)

As you can see, as they get older, their ideas change a lot, and jobs like VTuber or YouTuber disappear from the equation. Teenagers opt for more common careers that don't usually stray from the norm; only when it comes to musicians or actors can things be a little more different. Furthermore, another point to understand why so many boys in Japan want to be VTubers is that the survey was conducted with 81% of girls. And considering that the most popular VTubers are women, this may affect their final choice.