Gyeonggi Residents' 'Happiness Index' Rises Annually... Highest Among 20s Youth

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] It has been revealed that the happiness index of Gyeonggi-do residents has been increasing every year. In particular, the happiness index of people in their 20s was the highest, drawing attention. However, residents cited stress from COVID-19 as their biggest concern.

Gyeonggi-do announced on the 28th that in July, it surveyed 1,000 residents aged 18 and older about their 'self-perceived happiness level,' which recorded an average score of 69 points. The happiness index by year was 67 points in 2015, 68 points in 2017, and 69 points in 2020.

Looking at the happiness levels in detail, family relationships scored the highest at 76 points. This was followed by ▲mental health (71 points) ▲relationships with friends and neighbors (71 points) ▲residential environment (71 points) ▲physical health (70 points).

Due to non-face-to-face lifestyles caused by COVID-19, the happiness levels for 'rest and leisure' (63 points in 2019 → 64 points in 2021) and 'work-life balance' (66 points in 2019 → 69 points in 2021) increased.

By age group, the happiness index was highest among people in their 20s (72 points) and lowest among those in their 60s (63 points). The elderly aged 70 and above showed an upward trend from 60 points in 2019 to 67 points this year.

By monthly household income, those earning less than 1 million KRW scored 54 points, while those earning 8 million KRW or more scored 75 points, showing that happiness index increased with income.

However, while high-income households earning 7 million KRW or more showed little change in happiness index by year, low-income groups such as those earning less than 1 million KRW (48 points in 2019, 57 points in 2020, 54 points this year) and those in the 1 million KRW range (58 points in 2019, 63 points in 2020, 62 points this year) showed an increase in happiness index compared to two years ago.

By occupation, students (73 points) and white-collar workers (72 points) scored high, while the unemployed (64 points) and self-employed workers (65 points) scored relatively low.

In the ongoing social distancing situation, the happiness of single-person households rose from 59 points in 2019 to 64 points, and the happiness of unmarried individuals increased from 66 points in 2019 to 70 points.

When asked about their biggest current concern, 28% cited stress caused by COVID-19 as the most common answer.

This was followed by personal and family health (13%), economic difficulties (12%), real estate and housing issues (11%), and personal academic, career, and employment problems (10%).

This survey was conducted by phone interviews on July 26, 27, and 29, commissioned to the polling agency Korea Research, with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

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