SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Four out of 10 South Koreans felt lonely on a regular basis, with the proportion of those giving such a reply increasing with age, a statistical ministry poll showed Tuesday.
Those who replied that they felt lonely on a regular basis reached 38.2 percent of the total respondents, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
The result was based on a survey of about 34,000 household members aged 13 and higher residing in some 19,000 sample households nationwide, conducted between May 14 and May 29.
More than four out of 10 people in their 50s and older experienced loneliness, showing that chronic loneliness was felt as they grew older.
The proportion of those without any social network who replied that they had no one to turn to for help in specific situations and no one to interact with on a regular basis was 5.8 percent of the total.
The percentage of men without a social network ran at 7.2 percent, 2.7 percentage points higher than the figure for women.
The proportion of those who replied that they had no social network and felt lonely was 3.3 percent.
The percentage of those without a social network who experienced loneliness was the highest among seniors aged 65 and over at 4.5 percent, followed by the middle-aged people aged 40-64 at 3.6 percent.
Meanwhile, the proportion of those who replied that they could trust the South Korean society stood at 54.6 percent in this year's survey, down 3.5 percentage points compared to the previous poll two years earlier.
It marked the first decrease since relevant data began to be compiled in 2019.
The downturn was attributable to social anxiety, triggered by the martial law declaration last December that resulted in a presidential impeachment and a snap presidential election, as well as safety threats from large-scale accidents.
Teenagers had the highest level of trust in society at 59.7 percent, while those in their 20s and 30s had relatively lower levels of trust at 52.0 percent and 49.1 percent each.
More than half of the employed people felt anxious about losing or changing their jobs.
The proportion of employees aged 19 and higher who replied that they were apprehensive about losing or changing their jobs in the near future came to 54.3 percent.
Those in their 40s had the highest level of anxiety about losing or changing jobs at 57.4 percent, followed by 55.9 percent for those in their 50s and 55.5 percent for those in their 30s.
The most desired workplace for those aged 13-34 was big companies with 28.7 percent, trailed by public enterprises with 18.6 percent and state agencies with 15.8 percent.
The proportion of those who replied that it was good for women to have a job recorded 85.6 percent in this year's survey, up 1.4 percentage points from two years ago. ■
