What Makes South Koreans Unhappy?
2011-01-04 09:59 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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omonatheydidSouth Korea has reached a per-capita GDP of US$20,000, while its economy is the world's 13th largest, but South Koreans are far from happy. According to a Gallup poll, the number of South Koreans who are happy about their lives decreased 10 percent between 1992 and 2010 when the country's per-capita GDP grew threefold. The country consistently ranks at the bottom in various happiness indices around the world.
The Chosun Ilbo, in conjunction with Gallup and Global Market Insight, surveyed 5,190 people in South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Canada, the U.S., Brazil, Denmark, and Finland on Dec. 16-24. The results show that South Koreans are fatigued by a persistent yearning for material wealth and the constant threat of an attack from North Korea. As a result, the country has the highest proportion of people wishing to emigrate among the 10 surveyed countries.
◆ Fears of North Korean Attack
South Koreans suffer from the highest level of fear of a war or terrorist attack. Asked whether they are afraid of a nuclear attack or a terrorist threat, 63.4 percent said yes. Huh Jin-jae, a director at Gallup Korea, said, "Anxiety has grown sharply in 2010 due to North Korea's attacks on the Navy corvette Cheonan and Yeonpyong Island, as well as increased uncertainties posed by the rise of North Korean heir Kim Jong-un."
That is significantly higher than the average of the countries surveyed (49.8 percent) and even higher than the U.S. (53.7 percent), where people are under constant threat of terrorist attacks and waging two different wars. Only 3.1 percent of South Koreans said they feel absolutely no fear of a war or terrorist attack, compared to 13 percent in the U.S.
In Vietnam, whose people experienced a prolonged war, 40 percent feel under threat from another country, while in Finland only 25 percent of its people suffer such anxieties.
◆ Fixation with Money
South Koreans are fixated with wealth. A mere 7.2 percent of Koreans feel money and happiness are not related, compared to the average of 24.3 percent in the surveyed countries. But South Korea has the smallest proportion of people (7.2 percent) who say they are very happy. Most people living in happy countries according to the survey choose themselves as being probably the happiest person they know (33.9 percent).
Indonesia has the highest ratio who think of themselves as the happiest person in the world, followed by Vietnam (46.0 percent) and Malaysia (40.1 percent). Asked if they think South Koreans are happy, the highest number of people who answered no were South Korean respondents themselves (65.9 percent).
In South Korea, those in their 20s believe the country's people are least happy (74.3 percent), followed by those in their 30s (69.2 percent), 40s (64.0 percent) and 50s (55.1 percent), suggesting that younger South Koreans tend to have more negative views about life in their own country.
Brazilians are the happiest people in the world with 60 percent saying that they are happy, followed by Vietnam (49.1 percent), the U.S. (29 percent), Canada (27.7 percent), and Malaysia (26.8 percent).
But one thing Korea has is a tight social network based on solid personal ties. Some 60.3 percent of respondents said they have never experienced separation from family due to external factors, which is the highest among the countries surveyed. Also, 67.6 percent of Koreans feel that the most beloved people in their lives are their family.
Meanwhile, Koreans tend to have a negative view of rich people, with 66.4 percent believing wealthy people achieved their status through inheritance, and 57.6 percent through corruption and by other immoral means.
Most respondents abroad feel rich people became wealthy by working hard. "This means that Koreans have a double standard. They yearn to be rich while despising wealthy people," Huh said.
◆ Low Birthrate
Money is the main reason behind South Korea's low birthrate for more than half of respondents. And the country has the highest ratio of people who cite financial costs as being the biggest threat to future generations (29.8 percent).
It is the only country among the surveyed nations whose people prefer to give birth to their children in other countries. One in four South Koreans said that they want to give birth to their children abroad to give them non-Korean nationalities. Only 20.1 percent of South Koreans want to have their babies in the country, the lowest among the 10 nations.
cr; The Chosun Ilbo
The Chosun Ilbo, in conjunction with Gallup and Global Market Insight, surveyed 5,190 people in South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Canada, the U.S., Brazil, Denmark, and Finland on Dec. 16-24. The results show that South Koreans are fatigued by a persistent yearning for material wealth and the constant threat of an attack from North Korea. As a result, the country has the highest proportion of people wishing to emigrate among the 10 surveyed countries.
◆ Fears of North Korean Attack
South Koreans suffer from the highest level of fear of a war or terrorist attack. Asked whether they are afraid of a nuclear attack or a terrorist threat, 63.4 percent said yes. Huh Jin-jae, a director at Gallup Korea, said, "Anxiety has grown sharply in 2010 due to North Korea's attacks on the Navy corvette Cheonan and Yeonpyong Island, as well as increased uncertainties posed by the rise of North Korean heir Kim Jong-un."
That is significantly higher than the average of the countries surveyed (49.8 percent) and even higher than the U.S. (53.7 percent), where people are under constant threat of terrorist attacks and waging two different wars. Only 3.1 percent of South Koreans said they feel absolutely no fear of a war or terrorist attack, compared to 13 percent in the U.S.
In Vietnam, whose people experienced a prolonged war, 40 percent feel under threat from another country, while in Finland only 25 percent of its people suffer such anxieties.
◆ Fixation with Money
South Koreans are fixated with wealth. A mere 7.2 percent of Koreans feel money and happiness are not related, compared to the average of 24.3 percent in the surveyed countries. But South Korea has the smallest proportion of people (7.2 percent) who say they are very happy. Most people living in happy countries according to the survey choose themselves as being probably the happiest person they know (33.9 percent).
Indonesia has the highest ratio who think of themselves as the happiest person in the world, followed by Vietnam (46.0 percent) and Malaysia (40.1 percent). Asked if they think South Koreans are happy, the highest number of people who answered no were South Korean respondents themselves (65.9 percent).
In South Korea, those in their 20s believe the country's people are least happy (74.3 percent), followed by those in their 30s (69.2 percent), 40s (64.0 percent) and 50s (55.1 percent), suggesting that younger South Koreans tend to have more negative views about life in their own country.
Brazilians are the happiest people in the world with 60 percent saying that they are happy, followed by Vietnam (49.1 percent), the U.S. (29 percent), Canada (27.7 percent), and Malaysia (26.8 percent).
But one thing Korea has is a tight social network based on solid personal ties. Some 60.3 percent of respondents said they have never experienced separation from family due to external factors, which is the highest among the countries surveyed. Also, 67.6 percent of Koreans feel that the most beloved people in their lives are their family.
Meanwhile, Koreans tend to have a negative view of rich people, with 66.4 percent believing wealthy people achieved their status through inheritance, and 57.6 percent through corruption and by other immoral means.
Most respondents abroad feel rich people became wealthy by working hard. "This means that Koreans have a double standard. They yearn to be rich while despising wealthy people," Huh said.
◆ Low Birthrate
Money is the main reason behind South Korea's low birthrate for more than half of respondents. And the country has the highest ratio of people who cite financial costs as being the biggest threat to future generations (29.8 percent).
It is the only country among the surveyed nations whose people prefer to give birth to their children in other countries. One in four South Koreans said that they want to give birth to their children abroad to give them non-Korean nationalities. Only 20.1 percent of South Koreans want to have their babies in the country, the lowest among the 10 nations.
cr; The Chosun Ilbo
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 11:17 am (UTC)What, 1/5? That's just crazy.
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Date: 2011-01-04 02:18 pm (UTC)I'm afraid many Koreans actually do worry about those kind of things...
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Date: 2011-01-04 10:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 11:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 11:19 am (UTC)Come on SK, cheer up :). And the all thing about money is actually pretty common within the next generation regardless of the country imo. I never ever cared about having a Chanel bag or going to a very expensive restaurant. But maybe that's just me. It all comes with the education I guess.
The all double standard is quite transparent in dramas.
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Date: 2011-01-04 12:02 pm (UTC)OH HAI RAGGEDY DOCTOR ;D
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Date: 2011-01-04 11:40 am (UTC)In all seriousness, the whole inheritance thing is probably true, and I'm not just saying that because I watch too many dramas. Chaebol is real, like it or not. The American Dream of working hard and climbing the ladder does not exist in Skor. It doesn't even exist in America anymore really, so no surprise there either. The elite like to keep it that way.
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Date: 2011-01-04 11:44 am (UTC)"Brazilians are the happiest people in the world with 60 percent saying that they are happy"
\o/
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Date: 2011-01-04 12:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 03:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 11:55 am (UTC)Hierarchy is *so* entrenched that working hard to get rich is something of a one in a million dream. (Otherwise, what's a Cinderella story for?) It's not just SK, but does seem to be stronger there...
What probably makes the pressure for wealth and success worse is school/educational system too. I mean, so much pressure is placed on kids to be the smartest, to bust their brains in the *hopes* of passing the exam to get into a high class school so that you can be rich and successful, and then in the end social class *still* plays a heavy role in whether or not that effort means anything. (for example, the idea that prettier people get jobs easier...and who can afford plastic surgery more easily than people who already have wealthier parents?)
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Date: 2011-01-04 12:11 pm (UTC)er, can someone explain this? is there something wrong in having a Korean nationality?
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Date: 2011-01-04 12:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 12:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 01:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 02:20 pm (UTC)And the mandatory male military service, is it only for those born in korea? what if they were born in a diff country? i believe they don't count as one of the males, right?
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Date: 2011-01-04 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 01:01 pm (UTC)Woah I just wrote my own article. Sorry OP!
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Date: 2011-01-04 02:26 pm (UTC)i wish i was given the chance as well. maybe i could be more 'productive' in my life.
Ah not at all! it was a good read! :D
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Date: 2011-01-04 02:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 03:19 pm (UTC)now i'm feeling a bit self-conscious cuz my OJT is about to start this year's summer.wo~ah. Double Eyelid surgery as gifts? I guess i'm lucky i have double eyelids. XD I can't even ask my parents to let me have braces! Let alone plastic surgery. >_<
I guess it is pretty normal in many asian countries. in here, women are crazy to get pale white skin.
People really want to look perfect on their own, right?
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Date: 2011-01-04 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 03:09 pm (UTC)I used to have a Serbian passport, but I live in Germany. First of all, the cost to be able to travel and stay somwhere is higher (you need visa and permissions and everything). Also, the government has always been pretty shitty there so you never know what could happen to you.
With a German passport, that I now have, it's very easy for me to go almost anywhere without a visa, it costs less and it's safe: we're in the EU.
So if Korea is one of the countries, where these things are more complicated, which I assume, the kid might have it easier and more chances with a US passport etcetcetcetc
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Date: 2011-01-04 03:25 pm (UTC)And easier for them to go back and forth for concerts right? in the entertainment side.
Thank you! I understand it now. :D
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Date: 2011-01-04 08:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-25 01:01 am (UTC)aber wenn du das gerade so erwähnst denk ich mir mal wieder (und ich hatte es erst vorhin mit arbeitskollegen über das thema pro/contra leben in deutschland):eigentlich sollte ich aufhören zu nörgeln da wir in deutschland wirklich einen recht hohen lebensstandard haben und den öfter gar nicht mal so zu schätzen wissen (sozialstaat hin oder her). aber da bin ich ausnahmsweise eben doch ganz typisch deutsch:hauptsache mal auf dem eigenen land herumgehackt.
hattest du früher probleme bei aus- und einreise?
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Date: 2011-05-25 12:10 pm (UTC)Ja okay, Ich hatte keine direkten Probleme, da ich den (damals noch Jugo) Pass nicht so lange hatte. Und es war auch nie ein Problem ein Visum jedes Jahr zu bekommen, weil ich ein Kind war, dass in Deutschland lebte, aber es musste getan werden. Und ich bin mir sicher, dass nicht jeder es so leicht hatte, vielleicht war es bei uns einfacher, da mein Vater 'nen deutschen Pass hatte idk bra.
Die Sache ist, es war viel Krieg da unten. Und ich weiss, dass es da manchmal nicht so leicht war, 'ne Einreiseerlaubnis zu bekommen. Aber eins kann ich sagen: Nach Jugoslawien reinzukommen war um einiges leichter als von da rauszukommen. Meine Verwandten, die dort leben, muessen heut immernoch Ewigkeiten auf ein Visum warten, manchmal bekommen die nicht ma eins :/
Und ja, ich war frueher auch so lol. Aber heute weiss ich, wie gut wir es hier haben, srsly. Wir sind gesetzlich krankenversichert, ich dachte immer, das sei selbstverstaendlich, aber nicht mal die USA haben das! Und niemand hier ist wirklich arm. Armut bedeutet bei uns immernoch, einen Fernseher zu besitzen. Und das mit der Ein/Ausreise is'n riesiges Argument, teil der EU zu sein ist ein grosser Vorteil (vielleicht nicht unbedingt wirtschaftlich gesehen, aber das kann ich dir leider nicht sagen).
Ich denke einfach, es war das ~Image~ des Deutschen, was mir nicht gefiel. Dass hier alles so grau ist. Ordnung muss sein. Bratwurst und Bier. Lol idk. Aber jedes Mal, wenn ich Auslaender frage, die hier waren, wie sie es fanden, sind alle begeistert; die Deutschen sind super freundlich und offen und sind lange nicht so, wie es ihr Image beschreibt. Obwohl "Ordnung muss sein" auch zum Positiven beitraegt, denn persoenlich empfinde ich z.B. Puenktlichkeit als etwas gutes, nicht weil ich pingelig bin, sondern weil es bedeutet, dass man sich kuemmert, dass man sich auf einen verlassen kann. Jaja, das ist der Deutsche. Zuverlaessig und Bratwurst.
Okay ich geh jetzt was auslaendisches tun, buhbai...
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Date: 2011-01-04 12:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 01:37 pm (UTC)Really? that is so bizarre for a country supposedly so steeped in Nationalism.
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Date: 2011-01-04 02:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 08:38 pm (UTC)eye candybotting in MMOsno subject
Date: 2011-01-04 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 03:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 03:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 02:16 pm (UTC)Damn.
And idk why Canadians don't realize how good they have it in comparison to a lot of countries (US included).
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Date: 2011-01-04 09:15 pm (UTC)and yet i choose to live in korea... hmm o_o
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Date: 2011-05-25 01:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 02:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 03:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 04:28 pm (UTC)and i thought japan's people are the least happy... i mean with all the suicide stuff... guess living in south korea is not that fun... (now i wonder what about north korea?)
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Date: 2011-01-04 04:31 pm (UTC)woohoo go Finland
khrm. Sorry. I'll actually go and read the article now.
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Date: 2011-01-04 04:37 pm (UTC)South Korea doesn't allow dual nationalities though? So all these babies born outside of the country will not be able to get social benefits (SK does have social benefits, right?) because they're not citizens, so wouldn't that make their lives tougher?
South Koreans, I don't get your logic. About any of this. You want money, but you think being rich is filthy. You think happiness is tied to money. Because of money issues you don't want kids. But kids/family give you happiness.
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Date: 2011-01-04 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 07:01 pm (UTC)(Just kidding!)
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Date: 2011-01-04 08:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 09:20 pm (UTC)