Life satisfaction hits record high as isolation eases

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Eight in 10 Koreans are satisfied with their lives, as overall life satisfaction rose and social isolation eased over the past year, government data showed Tuesday.

Despite these improvements, concerns over ideological divisions and class tensions remained pronounced, with some indicators pointing to a deepening of those conflicts, underscoring a complex social mood.

According to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the proportion of people expressing satisfaction with their lives reached 80.8 percent last year, up 5.2 percentage points from 75.6 percent a year earlier. This marks the highest level since the data began to be compiled in 2013.

A breakdown by gender showed men expressing satisfaction at 81.2 percent, slightly higher than women at 80.3 percent. By age group, individuals in their 30s recorded the highest satisfaction level at 85.2 percent, while those aged 60 and older reported the lowest at 75.1 percent.

Perceptions of work also improved. The share of respondents who said their work was meaningful rose to 79.4 percent, up 3.1 percentage points from the previous year.

“A rise in consumer spending and a rebound in travel activity likely helped lift overall life satisfaction,” a ministry official said.

Feelings of social isolation also showed a clear improvement. The proportion of individuals who said they felt lonely fell to 16.9 percent, down 4.2 percentage points from 21.1 percent a year earlier. Similarly, the share of respondents who felt that “no one truly understands them” declined to 15.1 percent, a drop of 1.1 percentage points.

However, this downward trend was less evident among older adults. People aged 60 and above continued to report the highest levels of loneliness at 25.1 percent. This suggests that, despite overall progress, emotional isolation among the elderly remains a persistent and pressing issue.

By contrast, awareness of social divisions remained high. Tensions between conservatives and liberals were cited most frequently at 80.7 percent, followed by disparities between lower- and middle- to upper-income groups at 74 percent, and conflicts between labor and management at 69.1 percent.

Perceptions of ideological and labor-related conflicts intensified over the past year, rising by 3.2 percentage points and 2.7 percentage points, respectively.