Busan in Statistics: Publication of the '2022 Busan Social Survey' Results

Survey of 17,860 Sample Households and 31,877 Household Members Aged 15 and Over Living in Busan

Busan City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Busan City announced the results of the ‘2022 Busan Social Survey,’ conducted over 22 days from September 20 to October 11, to be used as basic data for developing community policies aimed at improving citizens' quality of life.

Starting with the first survey in 1996, the ‘Busan Social Survey’ marked its 27th edition in 2022. It was the first survey conducted by a local government in Busan and is a very useful and important survey that reveals citizens' awareness, living standards, conditions, and social changes.

The ‘2022 Busan Social Survey’ was conducted on 31,877 Busan citizens aged 15 and older from 17,860 sample households, covering five areas (60 survey items): health, safety, environment, family, and social integration. The results by category are as follows.

▲Health

Among Busan citizens aged 15 and older, 5.2 out of 10 (an increase of 9.7 percentage points compared to 2020) engage in exercise. The average number of exercise days per week is 3.6, and the average exercise time per session is 1 hour and 18 minutes.

The exercise rate generally increased with age. The main exercise facilities used are ‘private sports centers’ for those in their 20s and 30s, and ‘nearby parks’ for those in their 40s to 60s and older. For health promotion, citizens practice appropriate meals (46.4%), sufficient rest (41.6%), and regular exercise (30.9%) in that order.

Regarding satisfaction with medical institution services, 71.5% reported being ‘satisfied’ (an increase of 1.4 percentage points compared to 2020), while ‘dissatisfaction’ was 1.8% (a decrease of 0.6 percentage points compared to 2020), showing a high level of satisfaction with medical services in Busan.

▲Safety

The proportion of respondents who answered that Busan is ‘safe’ compared to other regions was 58.8% (an increase of 2.2 percentage points compared to 2020). The top priority projects for Busan’s safety were ‘traffic safety’ and ‘crime/violence prevention.’ Regarding overall community safety, 45.3% felt ‘safe’ (an increase of 7.9 percentage points compared to 2020), and 9.9% felt ‘unsafe’ (a decrease of 6.2 percentage points compared to 2020). Safety perceptions increased and anxiety decreased across all safety-related areas (eight categories including natural disasters, crime, traffic accidents, etc.). Notably, the proportion feeling ‘anxious’ about new infectious diseases was 28.8% (a decrease of 21.5 percentage points compared to 2020), showing a significant reduction in anxiety compared to two years ago.

▲Environment

The most satisfying aspect of the current perceived environment in Busan is the ‘green environment,’ indicating progress toward the vision of Busan as a pleasant low-carbon green city where people and nature coexist. The most unsatisfactory aspect was ‘noise and vibration,’ identified as a vulnerable environment needing improvement. This is attributed to factors such as construction noise and automobile noise due to the activation of various maintenance and redevelopment projects.

▲Family

The preferred family type among citizens is a household with children, favored by 74.2% (an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to 2020) ? 58.8% prefer living with children and parents, and 15.4% prefer living with children but not parents. The preferred form of old-age living is living alone at 89.3% (an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to 2020). Regarding issues to increase birth rates, respondents prioritized ‘childcare fee support (19.5%)’ and ‘improving working conditions for women (16.1%).’ When asked about the timing of work interruption among women in dual-income households, 85.9% answered ‘until they can work.’

▲Social Integration

The overall life satisfaction score among Busan citizens was 6.0 out of 10, steadily increasing each year (5.8 in 2020, 5.9 in 2021), indicating a rising trend in life satisfaction. Forty-five point three percent of citizens felt proud to be Busan citizens, while 6.4% did not feel proud.

Among young people aged 15 to 39, 82.0% responded that they have no plans to migrate, while 18.0% said they do. The main reason for migration was ‘job search, employment, or workplace’ at 61.5%, highlighting the need for various employment policies such as job creation to prevent youth population outflow.

Detailed information on the 2022 Busan Social Survey results can be found on the Busan City website (Busan Introduction - Busan Statistics - Statistical Data Room).

2022 Busan Social Survey.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun expressed gratitude to the citizens who participated in this statistical survey and provided valuable opinions, stating, “We will carefully analyze the results of this survey and actively reflect them in future city administration.” He added, “In the new year, I ask for the continued support and participation of all citizens, and we will do our best to create Busan, a city where people want to live again, prioritizing citizens' happiness.”

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