Due to COVID-19... 7 out of 10 Seoul Citizens "Will Not Travel During Chuseok Holiday"

40% of 2030 and 4-Person Households Have "Moving Plans"

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] More than 7 out of 10 people in the nation have no plans for long-distance travel during the upcoming Chuseok holiday. Amid the nationwide implementation of social distancing level 2 due to the resurgence of COVID-19, the majority of the public is cooperating with the health authorities' request to refrain from unnecessary travel.

According to the "2nd Seoul Citizens COVID-19 Risk Perception Survey" jointly conducted by Professor Yoo Myung-soon’s team at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health and the Seoul Institute on the 21st, 56.8% of respondents answered "No" to the question, "Do you have plans for long-distance travel during the upcoming Chuseok and holiday period?" 16.0% said, "I had plans but canceled due to COVID-19." On the other hand, 12.4% responded that they have travel plans, and 14.8% answered "undecided."

The response indicating travel plans was most prominent among young adults in their 20s and 30s and four-person households. By age group, 45.7% of people in their 20s and 30s and 40.0% of those in their 40s and 50s had travel plans, more than three times higher than those aged 60 and above (14.3%).

By family composition, four-person households accounted for the highest at 37.1%, followed by three-person households (21.0%), single-person households (18.1%), two-person households (17.1%), and households with five or more members (6.7%). Three-generation families or families with multiple children, which include high-risk groups such as elderly patients or infants with weak immunity, appear to be refraining from travel as much as possible.

Among respondents planning to visit hometowns or relatives during the holiday, 34% cited normative reasons such as family duty and responsibility. The second most common answer, "The current situation is not serious enough to cancel spending the holiday with family," accounted for only 6.9%. Professor Yoo Myung-soon of Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health analyzed, "There is a large difference in response rates between the first and second priorities," and stated, "Normative considerations led to plans for long-distance travel."

In line with the government's extension of social distancing level 2.5 in the metropolitan area, Seoul City conducted the "Ten Million Citizens Pause Week" campaign until the 13th, which 64.8% of Seoul citizens evaluated as "effective." Respondents said they would agree if the "Pause Week" campaign were extended or if stronger distancing policies were implemented, but also reported difficulties in daily life and livelihood.

When asked, "Would you agree if the Pause Week continues or is extended?" 65.1% answered "Yes," but more than half responded that "social pause makes daily life and livelihood difficult to bear." The percentage of respondents who said they could accept stronger distancing policies than currently in place reached 82.3%.

Professor Yoo, who oversaw the survey, emphasized, "The spread of infection is essentially the result of human networks operating," and stressed, "It is necessary to establish a daily life based on consideration and respect for others."

This survey was conducted from the 8th to the 11th by the joint research team commissioning Korea Research, a professional polling agency, targeting 849 adults aged 18 or older residing in Seoul through mobile phone and email web surveys. The sample was extracted by proportional allocation based on region, gender, and age, with a maximum allowable sampling error of ±3.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

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