(Image: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Jul. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – A new study by Cigna Corporation, the parent company of LINA Korea, the first foreign provider of life insurance in Korea, showed that the perception of health and quality of life by South Koreans worsened compared to last year, resulting in the lowest levels of perceived well-being amongst all nations surveyed.
Results of the study titled “2018 Cigna 360⁰ Well-Being Survey” were announced yesterday after researchers surveyed participants from 23 countries.
The well-being index as constructed by researchers is based on five key areas of well-being: physical, family, social, financial and work.
The survey participants hailed from 23 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., France, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, China, India and South Africa.
A total of 14,467 people including 1,000 South Koreans were surveyed as part of the study held in February and March of this year. According to the survey results, the well-being index for Koreans dropped to 51.7 from 53.9 last year.
The index for financial perception was the lowest of the five categories, totaling 43.4 points. The scores in the social (51.7) and physical (52.3) categories were also low.
The overall well-being index of South Koreans proved to be the lowest of all 23 nationalities surveyed for the study.
The gap between South Koreans and Hong Kong citizens, who ranked 22nd, was significant. Hong Kong came in second lowest with 56.8 points.
In last year’s survey, South Koreans also came in last among the 13 nations where the survey was performed.
Despite the controversy surrounding the methodology of the survey, the sentiment that South Koreans are constantly under a great deal of stress is reflected in the study.
Among South Korean respondents, 97 percent said that they are currently under stress or had experienced stress recently, which was the highest level among the 23 countries.
H. S. Seo (hsseo@koreabizwire.com)
