Nearly 80 percent of Japanese surveyed say they experience stress in work and in human relations, with about 40 percent saying it has an adverse effect on their lives, according to a recent survey by the health ministry.

The survey results also show more people are exercising to relieve stress.

The survey, conducted in June, covered about 32,000 people nationwide over age 12, most of whom responded.

A total of 54.2 percent of respondents said they feel stress "very much" or "somewhat," up 3.4 points from the previous poll in 1988, while 25.3 percent said they do not feel much stress. Of these, 39.3 percent said their lives have been affected by stress.

Nearly 17 percent said they feel no stress at all, according to the survey.

The causes of stress for men were "things related to work" and "human relations," while for women they were to do with "health, illness and nursing care" and "income and household finances."

Men from age 25 to 34 and women from 35 to 44 were those who felt the most stress.

Asked about stress-relief measures, 34.6 percent of men said they indulge in hobbies or sports, while 33.4 percent said they relax at home. "Drinking alcohol," which topped the list of such measures in the previous poll, placed forth this time, the results show.

As for women, 53.4 percent said they relieve stress by "chatting with someone," according to the survey.

Most of the respondents said they turn to their families and friends for advice. Less than 5 percent said they turn to their bosses at work or schoolteachers.