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South Koreans’ life satisfaction less than Chinese, Vietnamese

October 30, 2014

According to Pew Research Center’s Global Attitude survey

Korean workers take the least amount of vacation days when compared to the rest of the world.

According to the 2014 Global Attitude survey, South Koreans in general are less happier than Chinese or Vietnamese.

When it comes to life satisfaction, only 47 percent of South Koreans — less than neighbors like China and Vietnam but more than Japan — said they stand at a 7, 8, 9 or 10 on a ladder of life happiness from 0 to 10.

According to Pew Research Center, which released a graphic Thursday based on a spring 2014 Global Attitudes survey, advanced and emerging economies are “considerably happier with their life situations than those in developing economies.”

The median of life happiness in developed nations was 53 percent, the center said.

South Koreans were at a life satisfaction of 53 percent in 2002, but stood at the same 47 percent when surveyed in 2007. In advanced economies, only Japan and Greece ranked lower.

A majority of surveyed countries saw a difference in life satisfaction when it came to high- or low-income individuals. While only 39 percent of low-income Koreans said they were happy with life, the percentage for high earners was 53.

The U.S. had a comparatively high 65 percent in life satisfaction.

The happiest country was Mexico, with 79 percent, followed by Israel (75 percent), Venezuela (74 percent), Brazil (73 percent) and Argentina and El Salvador, both with 66 percent.