Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to Conduct Survey on Out-of-School Youth Starting from the 26th

Addition of Items on Experience Using Narcotics and Harmful Businesses

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will conduct the "2023 Survey on Out-of-School Youth" starting from the 26th to systematically grasp the current status and conditions of out-of-school youth and use it as basic data for establishing support policies.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated his pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, stating, "Isn't it time for the ministry to fulfill its historical mission?" Meanwhile, on the 14th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family at the Government Seoul Office, facing a crossroads regarding its existence, is stirring unrest amid a tense atmosphere. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

This survey will be conducted comprehensively on about 3,000 out-of-school youth according to the "Act on Support for Out-of-School Youth," covering topics such as the timing and reasons for dropping out of school, physical and mental health status, family relationships, friendships, economic conditions, career paths, awareness and usage experience of support institutions, regrets and experiences of discrimination after dropping out, and policy demands.

Although the survey has been conducted every three years since 2015, the survey cycle has been shortened from three years to two years to grasp the status of out-of-school youth more timely.

In particular, to enable time-series analysis with past surveys, the core content is maintained, but the questionnaire items are divided into those for younger age groups (9 to 11 years old) and general groups (12 to 24 years old). Additionally, questions have been added to identify experiences related to socially sensitive issues such as harmful substances (narcotics), use of harmful establishments (room cafes, etc.), and experiences of withdrawal and isolation.

The survey method will be conducted mainly through institutions that can contact out-of-school youth, using face-to-face surveys or group interviews conducted by professional investigators.

Park Nansook, Director of Youth and Family Policy at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, stated, "By shortening the survey cycle on out-of-school youth from three years to two years, we expect to respond quickly and effectively to future changes in the policy environment," adding, "Based on the results of this survey, we will discover new policy demands and strengthen responses to risk factors."

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