“The subjective well-being index will measure the quality of life among citizens with better precision and detail,” said Prof. Yun Young-ho. (image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Jun. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean research team has developed an index to measure quality of life, which showed that South Koreans are dissatisfied with the environment and income, but satisfied with family and health.
A research team led by Prof. Yun Young-ho from Seoul National University Hospital announced on Monday that it has developed what is being called a Subjective Well-being Index (SWBI), a new index created to measure quality of life.
The research team conducted a survey of 1,200 South Korean nationals from March to May 2018, and implemented the index to analyze the response trends.
Respondents gave a high score of 7.1 to health and family, and 7 points to relationships. Environment, on the other hand, was lower at 6.2 points. Income and job also received a lower score of 6.4 points.
Subjective well-being tended to be 1.5 times higher among those below the age of 50 than those who were older.
Men reported scores 1.3 times higher than women, and married individuals were 1.5 times more satisfied with quality of life than singles.
Scores from those living in the countryside were 2.3 times higher than those in urban areas, and those from high income earners were 1.3 times higher than low income earners.
The research team also used the internationally acclaimed Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) to measure quality of life, where respondents gave 4.57 points out of 7 when asked if they were satisfied with their lives.
“The subjective well-being index will measure the quality of life among citizens with better precision and detail,” said Yun. “We’ll now be able to develop policies better tailored to meet the needs of the citizens.”
The research was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
