By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Most secondary students feel unhappy about their daily lives due to the heavy pressure to study, a survey showed.
The overall happiness index came in at 53.08 out of 100, according to a survey conducted by the Government Youth Commission (GYC) and the National Youth Policy Institute (NYPI), Thursday.
Reflecting their stress, nearly 90 percent of secondary students said they are unhappy with their academic achievement.
``The survey shows that Korean students are under stress, weighed down by the burden of study,'' said Kim Shin-young, a researcher of the NYPI. She added that a reading of more than 80 generally means that students feel happy.
The commission surveyed 5,951 secondary students last May. The happiness index showed that male students were happier than their female counterparts and younger students were happier than older ones.
No comparable figures were available as it is the first survey on happiness for middle and high school students. The commission plans to regulate the happiness survey for youngsters every year and will compare results with other generations and countries.
The survey consists of 40 questions in six categories; academic achievement, economic well-being, satisfaction with self, safety, social relationships and emotional well-being.
As for academic achievement, only 11 percent of the respondents said they were satisfied with their school scores; 12.4 percent of male students and 9.9 percent among female students. By region, Seoul showed the highest satisfaction (12.5 percent).
Sixty percent were not satisfied with their economic situation, while 89 percent said they believe they belong to the middle class. This category also saw the highest satisfaction, with students in Seoul at about 41 percent.
Regarding satisfaction with self, more than 70 percent said they were not happy with their appearance. More female and younger students were unhappy about their appearance than their male counterparts and older students. Also, 60 percent were unsatisfied with their personality.
The category of ``safety'' showed that more than 60 percent were afraid of possible crime at school, such as violence and theft.
Nearly 70 percent said they didn't have a good relationship with their teachers and only 16 percent said they were willing to talk about their troubles with them. More than 90 percent were found to have no problems with their peers.