Thousands of young people who tested a written exam for public servants at a middle school in southern Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 22 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 1 in 10 South Korean young adults feel that they are isolated from society, a study showed Monday.
The National Youth Policy Institute conducted a survey of 2,041 young adults between the ages of 18 and 34, 13.4 percent of whom felt “isolated from other people.”
Among the respondents, 16.6 percent felt “alone in the world,” indicating that more than 1 in 10 young adults in the country are suffering from isolation and loneliness.
Another 5.1 percent of young adults tended to stay indoors, which was higher than 2019 (3.2 percent) and 2020 (4.7 percent).
More young adults are staying indoors largely due to the spread of COVID-19, the institute explained.
“Social isolation is largely caused by early exposure to school violence, domestic violence, and deviation from school education. Among young adults, social isolation is caused by unemployment and prolonged job searches,” the institute said.
“Professional intervention should be in place in due time to prevent young adults from being socially isolated.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
