[Asia Approach] In the End, Family Is the Only One You Can Trust

[Asia Economy Lee Kyungho, Head of Editorial Planning Team] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) crisis continues, the thought that comes to mind is "In the end, family is what you can trust." COVID-19 has made us realize how important communication with family, relatives, neighbors, and coworkers is. Those in self-quarantine due to concerns about COVID-19 infection look back on their families once again and paradoxically keep their distance from family to protect them. Those infected with COVID-19 and their families demonstrate familial love once more to achieve full recovery. Moreover, familial love shines more in times of mourning than in times of celebration.

Although there is a saying "neighborly relations," in terms of trust, it can still be said that "blood is thicker than water." The Korea Institute of Public Administration conducts an annual "Social Integration Survey" targeting 8,000 adult men and women aged 19 to 69. Among various items, the institute assesses the level of social trust, trust in institutions, and perceptions of minorities within society to understand the state of Korean society and published the "2019 Social Survey Center Data Brief." According to this, interpersonal trust levels have not changed significantly over the past five years, and trust in family has consistently remained at a high level.

On a 4-point scale (1 to 4 points, with higher scores indicating higher trust), family trust has maintained the highest level at 3.5 to 3.6 points over six years from 2013 to 2018. This score is significantly higher than that for acquaintances (2.9 points) and neighbors (2.7 points). Trust in foreigners (1.9 points) was at the same level as trust in strangers (1.9 points).

Regarding trust in institutions, trust in medical institutions, educational institutions, local governments, and financial institutions was 2.5 points, indicating a moderate or higher level of trust. Trust in central government ministries has steadily increased, reaching 2.4 points. However, trust in the National Assembly remained low at 1.9 points, though it has shown a meaningful upward trend over the past three years, rising from 1.7 points to 1.8 points and then 1.9 points.

Reflecting the shift toward a diverse and multicultural society, exclusionary perceptions toward minorities (people with disabilities, children from broken families, foreigners, ex-convicts, homosexuals, and North Korean defectors) are also decreasing. The exclusionary perception toward ex-convicts dropped from 68.4% in 2013 to 62.7% in 2018, and for homosexuality, it decreased from 62.1% to 49.0% during the same period. The institute noted, however, that "there are some differences by age group, with generally more inclusive attitudes observed among younger groups."

In the ongoing COVID-19 situation, April 15 will be the day to elect members of the National Assembly who will lead the nation and regions for the next four years. It is hoped that trust in family and surroundings will become even stronger due to COVID-19, and that trust in the National Assembly will also rise as a result.