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| Gettyimagesbank |
By Lee Hae-rin
Only 35 percent of Koreans feel happy about life, with the level of happiness in older age groups being lower, a recent study showed. Social contact and communication with others were key factors that increased people's happiness levels, while unmet health issues made people unhappy.
According to the Public Health Weekly Report (PHWR), the official journal of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), published on July 6, only 34.7 percent of Koreans feel happy about life, with the average happiness level on the index at just 6.68 points in a scale of zero to 10.
The study also showed that the people's happiness levels declined by age group. Thirty-nine-point-four percent of respondents aged between 19 and 44 said they were happy, but the rating went down for older age groups, with just 35.3 percent reporting a sense of happiness for those aged 45 to 64 years old. The figure went lower still for 65 to 74 year olds, registering just 29.7 percent, and only 25.7 percent among those aged over 75.
The happiness level was slightly higher among men compared to women ― 35.4 percent and 34.2 percent respectively.
The research analyzed the KDCA's 2015 Community Health Survey (CHS), which surveyed 226,545 Korean adults (102,545 men and 124,261 women) aged over 19 and studied factors that influence happiness levels.
The annual survey conducted on a national scale adopted the questionnaire on happiness levels and quality of life back in 2015.
However, the questionnaire has never been carried out regularly and the data from 2015 is the latest government statistics available for objective analysis, the study's author Chun Jin-ho, professor of preventive medicine at Inje University College of Medicine, told The Korea Times, Thursday, highlighting the need for a consistent government-led survey concerning people's happiness levels and quality of life.
The study also showed that the level of people's education correlated with their level of happiness. Twenty-five percent of respondents who never went to school or finished elementary school said they were happy, but the figure went up to 32.3 percent for middle and high school graduates and 44.1 percent for university graduates.
Higher-income levels were also correlated with happiness, the study showed. Of respondents, 23.1 percent whose monthly household income was lower than 990,000 won ($762) said they are happy. However, the rate was higher for those earning one to 2.9 million won (31.6 percent). And people making three to 4.9 million won registered at 39.8 percent while the figure stood at 49.1 percent for those earning more than five million per month.
Those who are more socially connected with family, friends and neighbors and that participate in social activities, such as volunteering, religious activities and leisure activities, have been found to be happier, the study showed.
The study concluded by recommending the improvement of medical infrastructure so as to cover people's unmet health needs and create a social atmosphere that revitalizes and encourages community-wide participation in social activities and engagement.
Considering the country's increasing life expectancy, which stands at 83.5 years, three years longer than the OECD average, Chun believes the government should develop concrete measures to increase the quality of life, especially for the aging population.
"Japan, for example, has many related divisions and organizations in local governments. However, in Korea, we have been discussing the aging population issue for a long time but not many measures have been drawn up," the professor said, underscoring the need for government-led actions concerning the population crisis, especially for the less advantaged and socially vulnerable groups.
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