The purpose of this study is to comprehensively diagnose Korean’s happiness and quality of life. In 2019, the first year of the study, which was planned as a three-year study, we tried to grasp the detailed perception of Korean happiness.
In the past, many governments felt that people’s well-being should be at the center of policy. Several initiatives aimed at improving quality of life generally point out that Korea has successfully achieved improvements in material conditions, but not at the subjective well-being. In order to overcome the gap between the objective quality of life and the subjective well-being, it is necessary to accumulate empirical evidence on how Koreans are happy and why not happy.
This study attempted to derive the elements of happiness to through theoretical studies on happiness and quality of life and reviews of previous studies(in chapter 2). Based on theoretical review, a questionnaire was developed to measure the happiness of Korean. 「Korean’s Happiness and Quality of Life Survey」 was conducted from May 8 to June 13, 2019 by a face-to-face interview. In addition to reviewing theories, chapter 2 presents research trends on happiness and quality of life in Korea, which outlines different academic approaches to the comprehensive concept of happiness and quality of life.
In chapters 3 and chapter 4 present the results of a quantitative analysis of Korean happiness and quality of life using the original data on the Korean’s Happiness and Quality of Life Survey.
In order to measure happiness as a complex concept, we identified the topography of Koreans happiness using various questions such as cantril ladder, life satisfaction, positive and negative affection, and the value of Eudaimonia(in chapter 3). The results show that happiness and quality of life differ according to the individual’s economic and social characteristics. And the quality of life covering various living conditions was not independent of subjective well-being. The analysis of the happiness and quality of life of Koreans identified in chapter 3 will be the basis for discovering the specificity and meaning of Korean happiness.
Multidimensional living conditions such as the economic resource of households and the conditions of residential environment, have a significant relationship on happiness. A fluent standard of living conditions contributes to increased happiness. On the other hand, however, an individual’s psychological capacity can intervene in the relationship between living conditions and happiness. Chapter 4 analyzes how the psychological capacities of extroversion and neurosis affect the path of living conditions and happiness perception by age group. The results suggest the need for academic and policy attention to psychological competencies in pursuing an individual’s happy life.
In addition to the findings from the quantitative analysis, it is necessary to understand Koreans’ perception of happiness from various angles. In order to confirm Koreans’ perception of happiness, focus group interviews a policy orientation that promotes happiness. We must consider the tendency to emphasize groups over individuals in our people’s perceptions of happiness. Third, more detailed and comprehensive data on Korean happiness need to be continued. Fourth, since the problem of low happiness of the elderly among the population is continuously confirmed, it is necessary to actively respond to it.