Koreans report strongest sense of social cohesion since 2014: study

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Koreans reported their strongest sense of social cohesion in more than a decade in 2025, according to a government-funded study released Friday, even as engagement in civic life and perceptions of social mobility continued to weaken.

The report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs showed that perceptions of social cohesion, measured on a 10-point scale, rose to 4.87 points in 2025, the highest score since the survey series began in 2014. The figure compares with 4.18 in 2016, 4.17 in both 2018 and 2019, and 4.32 in 2024, based on year-by-year survey results.

Social trust, also measured on a 10-point scale, reached 5.70 points in 2025, up from 4.59 in 2014 and 5.22 in 2024, marking its highest level over the 11-year period covered by the study.

Indicators of subjective well-being — including life satisfaction and happiness, both measured on a 0–10 scale — also reached their highest levels since 2014. The report noted that while these indicators have been tracked annually since the survey began, it does not disclose detailed year-by-year averages for all well-being indicators.

Despite the improvement in overall social cohesion, the study identified persistent structural challenges. Perceived social mobility, measured on a five-point scale, fell to 2.57 points in 2025, the lowest level recorded since 2015, continuing a downward trend observed since 2021.

Civic participation also remained weak. While the survey does not assign point values to participation, rates of volunteering and charitable giving have declined steadily since 2014, according to longitudinal comparisons in the report.

Labor market disparities were particularly evident. Contract and daily workers reported levels of financial anxiety and job insecurity roughly twice as high as those reported by regular salaried employees, highlighting what the researchers described as a rigid dual labor market structure.

The findings follow a politically turbulent period that included an emergency martial law declaration by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in late 2024, the Constitutional Court’s impeachment ruling in April 2025 and a snap presidential election last June. The survey found that conflict between conservatives and progressives remained the most frequently cited source of social conflict.

The report also found a clear association between well-being and civic engagement. Respondents with higher levels of subjective well-being were more likely to vote, volunteer or donate.

In international comparisons, Korea’s scores for happiness and life satisfaction were closer to the lower end of the European range, comparable to countries such as Portugal and Hungary.