The survey also found that isolated young adults were less satisfied with their lives overall than their non-isolated peers, with 17.2 percent of isolated young adults reporting being “very dissatisfied” with their lives, more than three times the rate of non-isolated young adults (4.7 percent). (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
SEOUL, May 14 (Korea Bizwire) — According to a survey published on Sunday in the Health and Welfare Forum by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), five out of every 100 young adults in South Korea are virtually “isolated” from society, with no meaningful interaction with others.
The study defined “isolation” as having no interaction with people other than family and work contacts with whom one lives, and no support system to turn to when things get tough.
The report also found that this percentage had increased from 3.1 percent in 2019, the last time the survey was conducted.
KIHASA researchers analyzed source data from Statistics Korea’s Social Survey and found that the proportion of isolated youth among young adults aged 19 to 34 was 5 percent as of 2021.
Applying this rate to the total young adult population in 2021 (17.76 million), the number of isolated young adults was found to be 538,000.
The survey also found that isolated young adults were less satisfied with their lives overall than their non-isolated peers, with 17.2 percent of isolated young adults reporting being “very dissatisfied” with their lives, more than three times the rate of non-isolated young adults (4.7 percent).
The South Korean government plans to hold its first nationwide survey this year to support isolated and reclusive young adults who have been in a policy blind spot.
To this end, the government has signed a research contract with KIHASA and plans to start a full-scale survey soon. The aim is to finalize the survey by the end of the year and publish the results in the first half of next year.
“Isolated and reclusive youth are a newly identified welfare need and a new vulnerable group after the pandemic, and youth-friendly support is needed to prevent prolonged isolation and reclusion,” said Kim Sung-ah, an associate research fellow at KIHASA.
“It is recommended that support programs for isolated and secluded youth should aim for their recovery and social integration based on stable institutional foundations such as actual surveys and legal basis.”
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
