Adolescents have reported spending significantly more time confiding in their parents about their concerns, sharing details of their day-to-day lives, and enjoying leisure activities together. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 2 (Korea Bizwire) – With the Covid-19 pandemic waning in South Korea, a government survey has found that most aspects of teenagers’ daily lives, including relationships with friends and family as well as school experiences, are undergoing positive changes.
Adolescents have reported spending significantly more time confiding in their parents about their concerns, sharing details of their day-to-day lives, and enjoying leisure activities together.
On May 1, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family released the findings of its “2023 Comprehensive Survey on Adolescents,” which was conducted from July to September 2023 and involved 7,423 youths aged 9 to 24 and primary caregivers from 5,000 households nationwide.
The survey revealed that 29.6% of respondents said their overall life had changed positively, a substantial increase of 16.2 percentage points from the previous survey in 2020, when only 13.4% reported positive changes.
Family relationships saw a notable improvement, with 32.1% perceiving positive changes compared to 22.1% in the earlier survey. Similarly, 31.5% said their friendships had changed positively, up from 15.4%.
During the same period, 26.8% reported positive changes in their school life, a significant rise from 11.4%, while 21.8% felt that their trust in society had improved, compared to 8.3% previously.
Additionally, 20.3% expressed a more positive outlook on their future careers and job prospects, an increase from 7% in the previous survey.
The subjective well-being level among adolescents, measured on a scale of 10, stood at 6.97, a 0.2-point increase from the last survey.
For the first time, the survey assessed teenagers’ resilience levels on a scale of 4. The results showed scores of 2.84 for those aged 9 to 12, 2.77 for those aged 13 to 18, and 2.83 for those aged 19 to 24. Resilience refers to the mental fortitude required to recover from adversity, emotional challenges, and psychological distress.
When respondents were divided into groups with high and low interpersonal competence, those with higher competence exhibited relatively higher levels of satisfaction with daily life and health indicators.
The group with high interpersonal competence scored 7.32 and 7.76 out of 10 for subjective well-being and satisfaction with daily life, respectively – 0.65 and 0.72 points higher than the group with lower competence.
Moreover, the group with higher interpersonal competence reported slightly better physical and mental health levels, scoring 3.57 and 3.48 out of 4, respectively, compared to their counterparts with lower competence.
“As the Covid-19 pandemic led to more time spent at home due to remote learning, it naturally deepened the relationships between teenagers and their parents.” (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
The survey also revealed a significant increase in the frequency of conversations and leisure activities between teenagers and their parents (primary caregivers).
The proportion of respondents who said they discussed their concerns with their parents four to six times a week rose from 5.9% to 10.2%, while those who discussed their school life with their parents four to six times a week increased from 11.0% to 13.1%.
Additionally, 14.3% reported engaging in leisure activities with their parents four to six times a week, up from 9.9%, and 30.2% said they had dinner with their parents four to six times a week, an increase from 26.1%.
The percentage of teenagers who spent more than two hours daily conversing with their fathers during weekdays rose from 5.5% to 14.2%, while the figure for those who spent more than two hours daily conversing with their mothers increased from 15.5% to 33.5%.
A ministry official commented, “As the Covid-19 pandemic led to more time spent at home due to remote learning, it naturally deepened the relationships between teenagers and their parents.”
The survey also found an increase in the proportion of teenagers (aged 13 to 24) who believed they should not bear any economic burden until they get married, rising from 32.2% to 40.1%. Conversely, the percentage of those who felt they should shoulder some financial responsibility decreased from 62.4% to 55.4%.
Perceptions of human rights and diversity in South Korean society improved, with 67.3% acknowledging respect for human rights, up from 62.8%, and 66.9% recognizing acceptance of diversity, an increase from 61.9%.
Furthermore, 54.7% viewed South Korean society as generally fair, a notable rise from 47.6% in the previous survey.
Attitudes towards marriage and parenthood remained largely unchanged, with 38.5% believing marriage is necessary and 60.1% indicating that having children is not an absolute requirement for those who marry.
The survey found that the most popular areas of participation for adolescents (aged 9 to 18) were culture and arts (59.2%), environmental conservation (21.1%), and health (19.5%).
When it came to career choices, teenagers (aged 13 to 24) prioritized their abilities (43%), aptitudes (17.1%), and future prospects (11.1%).
Shin Young-sook, vice minister of Gender Equality and Family, stated, “In the midst of rapidly changing environments, we will support teenagers in nurturing positive and healthy mindsets as they navigate their lives.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
