Money, the Second Biggest Source of Family Conflict... What’s Number One?

'Health of Household Members' and 'Economic Difficulties' Rank First and Second in 2024 Korea Welfare Panel Survey Report

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The health of family members was identified as the biggest cause of conflicts within families.

According to the '2024 Korea Welfare Panel Survey and Analysis Report' by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and the Seoul National University Social Welfare Research Institute on the 17th, household members participating in the survey most frequently cited 'health of household members' as the factor causing worries and conflicts within the family over the past year.

The research team conducted an analysis based on responses from 7,499 households that completed the survey out of 7,821 welfare panel households surveyed over four months starting February 26 last year. They investigated the problems occurring within families over one year and the methods of coping with family conflicts, up to the second priority.

Excluding households that responded 'no particular difficulties' (53.81%), 54.85% of the remaining households identified 'health of household members' as the biggest cause of family conflicts. 'Economic difficulties' such as debt or credit card debt followed at 18.19%, and 'employment or unemployment of household members' ranked third at 8.34%.

Next were 'children's education or behavior' (4.7%), 'housing-related issues' (4.15%), 'children's marriage issues' (3.74%), 'relationships among household members' (2.92%), others (2.17%), 'household members' alcohol use' (0.79%), 'domestic violence' (0.08%), and 'household members running away from home' (0.07%).

Results of the Causes of Family Conflicts Survey. Provided by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs

Looking at responses to the same question by income group, 61.12% of low-income households (below 60% of median income) cited 'health of household members' as the most important cause of family conflicts, showing some difference compared to general households (43.39%).

Responses indicating 'economic difficulties' as the cause of family worries were also higher in low-income households at 20.17%, compared to 16.93% in general households.

The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs has been conducting the Korea Welfare Panel Survey annually since 2006 to understand living conditions and welfare needs across various demographic groups.

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