About 64% of the Korean People Think “Korea is not Favorable to Live in.”

According to a survey, Koreans feel unsatisfied economically and socially but have many expectations for the economic policies of the new government.

According to Donga Ilbo`s survey on 1534 adults throughout the nation of “Nation`s sensible index” on the 22nd, 34.4% of the respondents think that Korea society is “favorable to live in” while 64.3% think “not favorable to live in.” The former is 10% points up from the on same issues in 2001, but dissatisfaction is still high.

Many think that Korea has an unsafe environment regarding crimes and public order (75.0%), bad medical service (65.2%) and weak basis for leisure or dilettante life (54.5%).

Four out of ten people (40.7%) want to emigrate from Korea to other countries, if there is a chance. The top reason of wish for emigration is “detest for politics” (36.2%).

Only 35.4% think their personal economic circumstance is “good,” and 62.7% think it is “bad.” However, prospect for economy after 6 months from now is more positive (31.6%) than negative (22.7%). This is interpreted to have a certain relation with the fact that 80.4% of the surveyed expect President Roh administration will establish and apply economic policies “well.”

The most urgent economic problems for the new administration were price stabilization (32.9%), unemployment (28.3%) gap between rich and poor (19.9%), the respondents said.

The survey was conducted through telephone interviews by Korea Research Center (KRC), a professional survey institution, and the sampling error is ±2.5% out of 95% confidence level. The detailed data is available in www.donga.com.

sunny60@donga.com