Seoul Citizens Perceive "Infectious Diseases More Dangerous Than Unemployment" Immediately After MERS Outbreak

Announcement of the '2019 Seoul Survey Social Investigation' to Understand Seoul's Changes and Social Conditions
Online Shopping Becomes Routine for Clothing and Accessories Among Teens and Young Adults... Accelerating the Digital Society

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Since experiencing the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in 2015, Seoul citizens’ awareness of the risks posed by infectious diseases has significantly increased compared to before.

Additionally, Seoul, already equipped with top-level smart infrastructure, is expected to see an acceleration of the digital society, with online shopping and delivery services enabling contactless purchases during the recent COVID-19 situation, along with the expansion of remote work and online education.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 27th the results of the '2019 Seoul Survey Social Investigation,' which examined changes and social conditions in Seoul as perceived by citizens in areas such as quality of life, housing, economy, culture, environment, transportation, education, and welfare.

First, citizens recognized infectious diseases as a more dangerous social issue than unemployment or natural disasters in 2015, when MERS occurred, and the following year, 2016.

When investigating urban risk levels in five fields directly or indirectly related to infectious diseases, 'infectious diseases' ranked lowest at 5th place (5.63 points) in 2013, rose to 2nd place (6.27 points) immediately after the MERS outbreak in 2015, and slightly decreased to 3rd place (6.23 points) in 2017. In the 2019 survey conducted before the COVID-19 outbreak, it fell back to 5th place (5.74 points), but the risk score was slightly higher than in 2013.

However, in the 2019 Seoul Survey, urban risk levels were ranked as unemployment (7.52 points), economic crisis (7.36 points), violent crime (7.00 points), natural disasters (6.08 points), and infectious diseases (5.74 points). The city analyzed that citizens’ risk perception of infectious diseases was influenced for about 2 to 3 years following a large-scale infectious disease outbreak.

Lee Won-mok, Director of Seoul’s Smart City Policy Division, said, "Analyzing past Seoul Surveys shows that after experiencing infectious diseases, Seoul citizens’ risk perception of infectious diseases has increased compared to before," adding, "It is expected that the situation will not be different after the current COVID-19 pandemic."

The survey also found that the proportion of Seoul citizens purchasing via telecommunications (online shopping) was highest for clothing and accessories (23.2%), followed by durable goods (13.7%), and daily necessities and groceries (12.2%). The rate of telecommunications purchases was higher among younger people aged 30 and under. In particular, clothing and accessories were purchased online by 45.1% of teenagers, 48.0% of people in their 20s, and 34.6% of those in their 30s, with about half of those in their teens and twenties engaging in online shopping.

Among Seoul citizens, 8 out of 10 (79.1%) had experience using SNS in the past year, using it an average of 4.75 times per day for 59 minutes and 29 seconds. Additionally, 4 out of 10 (41.9%) showed dependence on smartphones, with younger age groups such as teenagers (61.0%) showing higher dependence.

The average household size in Seoul was 2.38 persons. Single-person households accounted for the highest proportion at 32.0%, followed by two-person households (25.5%) and three-person households (21.0%). Housing tenure types were owner-occupied (42.1%), monthly rent with deposit (30.2%), and jeonse (long-term deposit lease) (26.2%). One in five households had pets, showing a 0.1 percentage point increase from the previous year.

Seoul citizens trusted family the most (8.74 points), followed by public institutions (5.41 points) and neighbors (5.17 points). Trust in public institutions has been higher than trust in neighbors for two consecutive years since 2018.

Satisfaction with living environment was highest for residential environment (6.39 points), followed by social environment (6.00 points), educational environment (5.71 points), and economic environment (5.50 points). Satisfaction with transportation means was 6.71 points, showing a continuous upward trend since 2016. By transportation mode, satisfaction scores were subway (7.25 points), bus (7.11 points), and taxi (5.77 points).

Among Seoul citizens, 62.2% were employed, an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared to 60.5% in 2018. The average weekly working hours were 44 hours and 35 minutes, with 4 out of 10 (40.5%) working between more than 34 hours and up to 40 hours per week. Those working over 52 hours accounted for 10.6%.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to publish detailed analyses of the current status and causes by field and area from this survey, along with policy proposals, in the 'Urban Policy Indicator Survey Report,' as well as the '2019 Seoul Survey Comprehensive Report,' the easy-to-understand 'Seoul at a Glance' in Korean, and 'Seoul at a Glance (English)' simultaneously.

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