South Korean adults are most concerned about such economic problems as inadequate retirement funds, employment and income, a poll showed Thursday, reflecting the country’s worsening economic conditions.
Nearly 37 percent of those surveyed consider the prolonged economic downturn and a slowdown in growth as the most disconcerting social issues.
According to the survey of 7,000 Korean adults taken by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the overall degree of uneasiness was 5.4 out of 10. A degree of 0 means a person does not feel uneasy at all and 10 means he or she is very uneasy.
The uneasiness degree is higher for older generations and those with lower educational backgrounds. Those in manual labor and temporary workers felt more uneasy than white-collar workers and regular workers.
The uneasiness degree about the nation’s future was 5.6, slightly higher than the uneasiness degree for future in individual lives.
As for the biggest source of uneasiness for the past one year, 25.3 percent of the surveyed cited insufficient preparations for life after retirement, followed by job and income problems which amounted to 18.4 percent.
The institute said preparations for post-retirement or income problems fall under economic problems and 43.7 percent of the adults feel uneasy with economic problems, reflecting the social atmosphere under the recent economic recession and deterioration of economic conditions.
Concerns about health followed economic problems with 15 percent with children’s education and supporting dependents coming in at 12.1 percent. Physical and mental problems accompanying aging was next with 7.3 percent, followed by conflict in the workplace with 6.4 percent and security in everyday life with 3.9 percent.
As for social problems that cause uneasiness, 36.6 percent cited the economic slump and the economy’s slowdown.
New diseases like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome followed with 21.7 percent while 8.8 percent said they felt uneasy over security problems, and 5.9 percent named the frail social security net.
Jitters about politics and external relations were cited by 5.7 percent of the adults as reasons for uneasiness, according to the survey conducted nationwide from Aug. 8 to Sept. 22, 2015. (Yonhap)
