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Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Korean kids are happier than before, but economic divide still shapes life satisfaction
Though the level of happiness among South Korean children has shown general improvement, the gap in happiness based on socioeconomic background factors, such as household income, remains. According to a report published by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, titled 'Happiness Disparities among Korean Children,' the average life satisfaction score of Korean children in 2023 was 7.14 out of 10, up from 6.10 in 2013 when the survey was first taken. The score was calculated based on a survey taken every five years, targeting children between the ages of 9 and 17. In 2018, the score had slightly increased to 6.57. KIHASA added that a steady increase in such average life satisfaction scores had been noted among children over the years. While the average score was marked as 6.10 in 2013 when the survey was first taken, the score had slightly increased to 6.57 in 2018. However, the institute noted that the level of happiness for Korean children differed depending on their household income. For nonimpoverished children who are a part of families earning a median income of 50 percent higher or more, their average life satisfaction score was 7.19 out of 10 in 2023. For impoverished children who are a part of families earning a median income of less than 50 percent, their average life satisfaction score was 6.20 points out of 10 in 2023. Although overall happiness levels steadily increased in 2023 for both impoverished and nonimpoverished children, those from low-income households consistently reported life satisfaction scores 1 to 1.5 points lower than their more affluent peers. The difference in scores was because children from lower-income families tended to give relatively higher scores on questions measuring their scale of depression and anxiety, while giving relatively lower scores on questions asking about their satisfaction with life and measuring their scale of happiness. According to KIHASA, children's happiness also showed differences based on family structure. For children raised by grandparents or in single-parent households, their satisfaction score in 2023 was placed at 6.33 out of 10, while children coming from typical households with both parents present saw life satisfaction scores of 7.26 in 2023. 'The fact that a gap exists in happiness levels among children from different socioeconomic classes shows that simply raising the average level of happiness among children is not enough to achieve equity in children's happiness,' said KIHASA researcher Yoo Min-sang. 'To achieve equity in happiness levels of all children, the focus of policies targeting children's life satisfaction levels should be shifted from generally increasing the level of happiness to reducing disparities depending on socioeconomic class.'
Korea Herald
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
92% of South Koreans concerned about political conflict in society: survey
Of all the conflicts in society, South Koreans are most concerned about political conflict between liberals and conservatives, a 2023 report by a state-run think tank showed Wednesday. In Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs' survey of 3,950 people aged 19-75 conducted between June and August 2023, 92.3 percent of the respondents said they thought the political conflict between progressives and conservatives was a serious issue, slightly up from 87 percent who thought so in the 2018 survey. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute has been conducting the survey on social conflict and social integration every year since 2014. This survey was conducted a year and a half before the current political crisis, sparked by by President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, which led to mass protests both in support of and against his impeachment and criminal investigation. In the 2023 survey, political conflict between progressives and conservatives topped the list of social conflicts surveyed, surpassing conflict between full-time workers with permanent job security and those without, which 82.2 percent of respondents said was the most serious. Management-labor conflict and wealth inequality between the rich and the poor followed, at 79.1 percent and 78 percent, respectively, indicating that economic polarization is still a major issue in Korean society in multiple ways. Political conflict was found to entail substantial complications in human interactions. Over half of respondents, 58.2 percent, said they would not date or marry a person with different political leanings. Another 33.02 percent said they would not have drinks with a friend or acquaintance who did not share similar political beliefs. Less willingness to have drinks with, date, marry or participate in civic and social group activities with people of different political leanings was found among women, senior citizens, low-income respondents and those with only middle-school levels of education. Gender conflict on its own, however, was perceived to be relatively less serious in the 2023 KIHASA survey, with only 46.6 percent of the respondents saying they are concerned about it. Respondents expected the political conflict in Korean society to worsen. When asked if a certain type of social conflict was likely to become more serious in the next 10 years, 87.66 percent picked political conflict between progressives and conservatives, while 79.95 percent chose conflict between the rich and the poor, and 75.84 said management-labor conflict would become more serious. 'In order to alleviate social conflict," the research team said, "It is necessary to establish a legal and institutional foundation that allows the parties involved, other stakeholders and citizens to participate in the process of adjusting and managing such social conflict.' The majority of the people -- 56.01 percent -- who participated in the survey believed that the government should play a crucial role in resolve these conflicts in Korean society, followed by 22.04 percent who picked political parties and the National Assembly, and 9.16 percent who said individuals should play a key role. But only 41.9 percent of respondents believed that the government was capable of resolving such conflicts, while 22.6 percent trusted the National Assembly to accomplish this task.
