40% of Seoul Citizens Report Mental Health Decline Due to COVID-19... 32% Say "It's Hard Not Being Able to Travel"

"92% Say 'Social Distancing Needed'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Four out of ten Seoul citizens felt that their mental health had deteriorated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most challenging aspects were restrictions on leisure activities and travel, as well as difficulties in social interactions.

Seoul City conducted an online survey from July to August targeting 3,983 citizens aged 10 to 80, titled "Changes in Citizens' Daily Lives After COVID-19," and announced the results analyzed by IBM Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot on the 21st.

In response to the question, "Compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19, how is your mental health?" 40% (1,489 people) answered "worse." Reasons for the decline in mental health included economic difficulties, lack of leisure activities due to social distancing, reduced social interactions, and discomfort caused by wearing masks. The remaining 60% chose "the same as before COVID-19."

Regarding physical health, 25% (892 people) responded that it had "worsened." Reasons cited included anxiety about infection, obsessive thoughts, reduced opportunities for health management, feelings of frustration, and lethargy.

When asked about the most difficult aspect due to COVID-19, 32% (1,128 people) said "restrictions on leisure activities or travel." This was followed by 26% who found "limited social interactions" challenging, 24% who experienced difficulties due to "unemployment or income reduction," 12% with "using public transportation," and 6% with "shopping or dining out."

However, regarding Seoul City's social distancing policies, 51% agreed that they are "necessary policies and not inconvenient," and 41% said they are "necessary policies but somewhat inconvenient," showing that the majority recognized their necessity. Only a small portion responded that the policies are "necessary but excessive (6%)" or "unnecessary (2%)."

Meanwhile, when asked which groups in society have been most affected since the spread of COVID-19, respondents identified "workers feeling the crisis of income reduction and unemployment (25%)," "small business owners and self-employed experiencing sales decline (19%)," and "low-income vulnerable groups (16%)" in that order.

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