What’s reassuring is that the survey found that young people expect the future to be better. (Image: Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Some 56 percent of young people aged between 15 and 34 consider themselves unhappy, a recent survey has showed.
The study highlights the gloomy state of mind of young South Koreans just struggling to survive, stressed from the pressure of academic success and the daunting task of finding a decent job.
According to report from the Korea Labor Institute released on Sunday, a survey of 2,500 men and women aged 15 to 34 in September of last year revealed that 56 percent said they were “unhappy” and 22.1 percent said they were “happy.”
What’s reassuring is that the survey found that young people expect the future to be better.
According to the survey on happiness in life in the past, or three years ago, present and future, or three years later, based on perfect score of 10 points, the average level of happiness in the past was 4.99 points, compared to 5.11 points for the present and 6.13 for the future.
Broken down by employment status, the number of employed people had an average happiness score of 5.35, which was almost the same as the 5.34 reported by students, both of which are relatively high scores.
In comparison, job seekers scored 4.43 points, about one point lower, which seems to reflect the stress and anxiety involved with finding a job.
In terms of age, the average happiness score for people aged 15 to 19 was the highest at 5.56 points, followed by those aged 30 to 34 at 5.12 points.
Those who were looking for jobs and young adults aged 20 to 29 showed relatively lower happiness scores at 5.04 points and 5.02 points, respectively.
“Overall, the quality of life, emotional and psychological condition of young people do not seem to be as good as those of other generation,” said Kim Yoo-bin, a researcher at the Korea Labor Institute and the author of the report.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
