Daily Life Changed by COVID-19: 'Home' as Space for Work, Leisure, and Shopping... Increased Stress from Finances, Health, and Unemployment

Results of the '2020 Seoul Survey Urban Policy Indicator Study' for Seoul Citizens
Homes Transforming into Spaces Offering Various Functions... Conflicts Between Families and Neighbors Increasing
1 in 2 Seoul Citizens Experienced Depression Due to COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the meaning of 'home' expanded from a space for rest and recharge to a space providing various functions such as work, culture, leisure activities, and shopping due to COVID-19, it was confirmed that psychological fatigue caused by COVID-19 increased significantly, with heightened stress perception related to financial status, health, and unemployment.

On the 4th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government released the results of the '2020 Seoul Survey Urban Policy Indicator Survey,' which examined overall changes and social conditions in Seoul regarding quality of life, housing, economy, culture, environment, transportation, education, and welfare as perceived by citizens. The survey found that 32.6% of employed Seoul citizens experienced telecommuting, and leisure activities were mainly individual-centered.

Telecommuting experience was highest among people in their 30s at 44.6%, and by occupation, management and professional workers recorded the highest rate at 46.9%. Leisure activities such as ▲watching videos ▲computer games, internet browsing ▲rest ▲reading, which are indoor activities, increased compared to the previous year, while outdoor activities such as ▲travel, outdoor outings ▲religious activities decreased. In particular, cultural and artistic participation was replaced by indoor cultural and artistic viewing as people refrained from external activities.

Regarding companions for leisure activities, 'with family (including relatives)' was the highest at 42.4%, followed by 'with friends (including partners)' at 28.1%, and 'alone' at 26.0%. Notably, the proportion of leisure activities done alone increased by 7.3 percentage points from 18.7% in 2019 to 26.0% in 2020.

As time spent at home increased, the use of delivery food and online shopping also surged. The frequency of delivery food usage by Seoul citizens increased by 74.1% compared to before COVID-19, and messenger usage and online grocery shopping increased by 67.9% and 67.4%, respectively. At the same time, conflicts within families and between neighbors increased by 34.1% and 24.9%, respectively.

As the COVID-19 situation prolonged, overall mental fatigue increased. The perceived stress rate in daily life over the year rose to 44.3%, up 4.9 percentage points from the previous year, and the experience rate of depression due to COVID-19 was 50.7%, indicating that one in two Seoul citizens experienced depression.

The main causes of stress were financial status, excessive work/study load, and social interpersonal relationships. However, during the COVID-19 situation, the proportion citing financial status increased by 7.8 percentage points, unemployment by 3.6 percentage points, and health status by 4.4 percentage points, ranking first to third in terms of increase.

Furthermore, with 'infectious disease' identified as the greatest risk factor surpassing unemployment and economic crisis, the causes of depression experienced by Seoul citizens were ▲vague anxiety about infection (52.4%) ▲frustration due to refraining from going out (43.4%) ▲COVID-19 related media reports (29.5%), in that order. The experience of COVID depression was relatively higher among women (53.7%) than men (47.6%) and was especially high in the age group 60 and older (55.7%).

Meanwhile, four out of ten Seoul citizens wanted to leave Seoul in 10 years, and two out of ten thought that more than 3 million KRW would be needed after retirement. The survey showed that the intention to reside in Seoul after 10 years was 63.8%, up 3.3 percentage points from 60.5% the previous year.

By age group, 7 out of 10 people in their 30s (67.2%) most wished to continue living in Seoul after 10 years, while about 4 out of 10 people aged 60 and older (41.6%) wanted to leave Seoul.

Regarding appropriate living expenses after retirement, the highest response was 'less than 2 to 2.5 million KRW' at 27.6%, but this decreased by 7.5 percentage points compared to 2019 (35.1% → 27.6%). Meanwhile, the proportion of citizens who thought more than 3 million KRW was necessary surged from 17.0% to 24.9% within a year. The living expenses needed after retirement as perceived by Seoul citizens are expected to continue increasing.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to publish the '2020 Seoul Survey' report in December, providing detailed analysis of the current status and causes by field and area, along with policy proposals.

Lee Won-mok, Director of Smart City Policy, said, "The 2020 Seoul Survey results showed that 2020 was a generally difficult year for citizens' lives and thoughts amid the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19," adding, "We plan to use the survey results as improvement data to reflect in city administration."

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