"64% of Rural Youth Live in Jeonse or Monthly Rent... Need to Ease Housing Burden for Settlement"

The proportion of rental housing among households under their 30s is 64%, higher than other age groups, indicating the need to alleviate housing burdens to encourage young people to settle in rural fishing villages.

The Rural Development Administration announced the results of the "2022 Welfare Survey on Farmers and Fishermen" containing this information on the 18th.

The survey was conducted on 4,000 rural households nationwide to promote the welfare of farmers and fishermen and to effectively implement rural development policies. The welfare survey on farmers and fishermen, which began in 2004, is conducted every five years with sector-specific investigations. Last year, in-depth surveys were conducted on basic living conditions, environment and landscape, safety, and overall living conditions (annually surveyed).

According to the survey, the homeownership rate among young people under 30 was 28.7%, significantly lower than that of those in their 40s (67.8%). Monthly rent was 41.4%, and jeonse (a Korean lease system) was 22.2%, meaning more than 6 out of 10 lived in rental housing. The rate of households below the minimum housing standard was also the highest at 11.8%. There is a demand for expanding housing-related policies to promote the influx of young people into rural fishing villages.

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원본보기 아이콘

The average monthly living expenses of rural households were 1,949,000 KRW, with less than half (42.6%) of households saving money. All generations spent the most on food and transportation/communication, while households under 30 spent more on housing costs (10.5%), those in their 40s on education expenses (14.6%), and those over 70 on health care expenses (21.3%).

The proportion of households wishing to move within 5 years in rural areas was 8.9%, higher among non-farming households (12.5%) than farming households (1.0%), and higher among migrants (12.6%) than original residents (1.0%). The main reasons for wanting to move were housing (52.8%) and jobs (34.0%) for households under 30, and children's education (38.6%) for those in their 40s.

Rural households lived more in detached houses (54.5%) than apartments (34.0%). Among farming households, 91.1% lived in detached houses, and the highest rate of homeownership was 73.0%.

The main heating facilities were city gas boilers (68.8%) in eup (towns) and oil boilers (51.8%) in myeon (townships). The average monthly heating cost for farming households was 187,000 KRW, with a long heating period (5.2 months), mainly using oil boilers (56.3%) and electric boilers (18.7%). The average monthly heating cost for rural households including non-farming households was 148,000 KRW, with 122,000 KRW in eup and 171,000 KRW in myeon, showing a difference.

To improve heating environments, myeon residents requested "supply of affordable heating sources such as city gas (52.6%)," while eup residents requested "repair and maintenance of old heating facilities (34.1%)."

The main transportation means used by rural residents were private cars (66.8%) and buses (23.0%). Those over 70 used buses the most (52.5%), and regarding the need for demand-responsive transportation, 67.1% agreed for taxis and 60.6% for buses.

Regarding the value of agriculture, fisheries, and rural areas, respondents answered in order: preservation of natural environment and landscape (39.5%), balanced national development (18.5%), stable food supply (15.0%), and preservation and inheritance of agricultural and fishery heritage (13.7%).

The main factors damaging rural landscapes were abandoned household waste (29.5%) and vacant houses and lots (19.3%). To maintain and preserve the landscape, 49.3% answered that institutional and policy improvements are needed, and 20.7% said residents should voluntarily participate.

To improve waste disposal, respondents cited expanding regular collection by local governments (38.5%), establishing village communal collection bins and composting sites for separated waste (22.5%), and expanding installation of CCTV (closed-circuit television) to monitor illegal dumping (21.8%).

Although waste is mainly separated for disposal, 3.8% still burn household waste and 3.6% burn discarded farming materials.

Rural residents rated noise and vibration (57.6 points) and odor (59.8 points) low in their local environment. Noise and vibration were mainly attributed to automobiles (59.8%), and odor to livestock farms (55.7%).

Since automobile noise and vibration and livestock odor were identified as major factors lowering the evaluation of the rural environment, the Rural Development Administration sees the need to continue implementing speed limits around residential areas, livestock manure treatment, and support projects for odor reduction facilities and equipment.

For regional safety, respondents said that safe pedestrian path maintenance (26.2%) and expansion of CCTV installation (23.8%) are most needed.

To improve road safety around villages, many answered that narrow road widths should be improved and roads paved (27.0%), and fences installed between roads and sidewalks or pedestrian-only roads created (21.2%).

The number of villages with CCTV installed increased compared to five years ago (72.8% → 85.1%), with installation rates lower in myeon (80.1%) than eup (90.6%).

The most cited fire vulnerability factor was old electrical and gas facilities in houses (41.6%), followed by burning of rice paddies, field ridges, and outdoor waste (19.9%).

The proportion of farming households burning discarded farming materials increased compared to five years ago (1.3% → 3.6%), but the perception that burning rice paddies, field ridges, and outdoor waste causes fires decreased (38.0% → 19.9%).

To expand fire services in rural areas, respondents said that safety inspections of old electrical and gas facilities in houses (54.1%) and distribution of fire extinguishers and fire alarms (17.2%) are necessary.

The results of this survey will be reported as an agenda to the "Committee for Improving the Quality of Life of Farmers and Fishermen and Rural Development," under the Prime Minister, to identify policy demands of rural residents and serve as a basis for policies and projects to improve them.

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