"COVID-19 Regional Response Well Done"... 8 out of 10 in Chungnam Respond Positively

[Asia Economy (Naepo) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Eight out of ten residents in Chungnam Province expressed positive opinions about the province's COVID-19 prevention and quarantine activities. They also showed high trust in the province's emergency medical system and public healthcare services.

The province recently announced on the 16th that it conducted a regular public opinion survey through the polling specialist company ‘World R&C,’ targeting 1,200 men and women aged 18 and older residing in the region (sampling error ±2.83%p, confidence level 95%), yielding these results.

According to the survey results, 85.7% of local residents felt ‘anxiety’ about COVID-19, with higher anxiety levels in county-level areas such as Cheongyang, Taean, Hongseong, Geumsan, and Buyeo (91.4%) compared to city-level areas.

By age group, those in their 40s (91.3%) and by occupation, workers in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and livestock industries (94.8%) and full-time housewives (91.9%) experienced greater anxiety.

Meanwhile, 79.3% of respondents evaluated the province’s COVID-19 prevention and quarantine activities as ‘well done,’ indicating that eight out of ten Chungnam residents held a positive view.

Additionally, trust in the province’s emergency medical system and public healthcare services was 75.0%, showing a similar level of evaluation as the COVID-19 prevention efforts. By age, those in their 40s (78.2%) and those aged 60 and over (77.8%), and by occupation, self-employed individuals (85.3%) and workers in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and livestock industries (79.6%) gave high ratings.

Regarding the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, 42.8% of respondents reported a decrease in consumer spending, 43.9% said there was no significant change, and 13.3% said spending had actually increased.

Separately, respondents prioritized the following tasks for the province to focus on: attracting businesses and creating jobs (37.7%), welfare and health (22.0%), disaster and safety management (14.0%), balanced development between urban and rural areas (10.6%), development of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and livestock industries (7.8%), and discovering future food sources for Chungnam (5.0%).

A provincial official stated, “The high positive evaluation of the province’s COVID-19 prevention efforts is attributed to the province’s proactive quarantine measures and various response activities that have somewhat alleviated residents’ concerns. The results of this survey will be utilized in establishing and implementing future prevention strategies and various response plans.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.