A citizen looks at materials explaining how to receive emergency disaster relief funds at a community center in Seoul on May 4, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 18 (Korea Bizwire) — A majority of college students and job seekers believe that emergency coronavirus relief funds are helpful, a recent survey revealed.
Alba Heaven, an online part-time job portal, conducted a study of 6,226 university students and job seekers, 74.5 percent of whom believed that the funds helped them overcome economic difficulties.
Late last month, the National Assembly approved an extra budget bill focused on the payments of the unprecedented relief money to all the nation’s 21.71 million households to lessen the financial strain brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the scheme, the government provides 1 million won (US$811) each to households with four or more members, 800,000 won to three-person households, 600,000 won to two-person households and 400,000 won to single-person households.
At 51.3 percent, a bit more than half said the funds are helpful because they support the livelihood of those who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus, while 41.2 percent said the funds encourage consumption, revitalizing the economy.
Among those who believed that the funds were not helpful, 37.3 percent said the funds were not helpful because they are limited to each region and certain types of businesses, while 28.8 percent said the amount disbursed was too small.
Another 37.4 percent wanted the government and local authorities to cut fees for transportation and mobile plans, in addition to the current relief programs.
Others wanted support in hiring young people (31.4 percent), and expanding the number of short-term jobs (28.4 percent).
Close to 40 percent had either received or plan on applying for the funds offered by the government and local authorities.
At 34.4 percent, just over one third said the funds accounted for less than 10 percent of their monthly income. Only 20 percent said the funds covered more than 50 percent of their monthly income.
Most of the respondents spent the funds on food (54.5 percent) or everyday necessities (33 percent).
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
