The file photo taken July 15, 2020, shows jobseekers looking at the floor plan of a recruitment event in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans’ view on the main factors contributing to social success and happy life turned out to be divided by generation, a state-run think tank said Monday.
The Korea Development Institute (KDI) recently conducted a public survey of 1,000 respondents consisting of 500 people in their 30s and another 500 in their 60s.
Of those in their 30s, 30.2 percent pointed to family background as the most important factor for social success.
Another 42.8 percent of those in their 30s said that there were few opportunities to climb the social ladder simply through personal efforts.
In contrast, among those in their 60s, the share of those who picked ‘personal talent’ as the biggest factor for social success accounted for the largest share at 23.7 percent.
Another 32 percent of those in their 60s said that socioeconomic status can be upgraded depending on personal efforts.
The two groups also had different views on standards for happiness. About 50 percent of those in their 30s said that the happiness in life is to do what they want, and only 14 percent said that happy life is to form a happy family.
In contrast, among the respondents in their 60s, the share of those who said that the happy life is to form a happy family accounted for the largest share at 38.2 percent, followed by 16.4 percent who stressed the importance of financial success.
“People in their 30s put emphasis on their current private life, while those in their 60s emphasize the importance of communal life for the future. Their views on life and their values are clearly different,” said Kim So-hee, a researcher at the KDI.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
