500,000 Single-Person Households, 53.4% Are Male
Most Inconvenient Aspect Cited: Meal Preparation (36.9%)
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Single-person households in Incheon account for 38.1% of all households, with 'housing stability' identified as the area most in need of policy support.
According to the results of a survey and analysis conducted by Incheon City on 3,500 single-person households in the region, based on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's resident registration population statistics as of July last year, 502,007 households, or 38.1% of all households in Incheon, were single-person households.
This rate is lower than the national average (41%) and Seoul (43.9%), but higher than Gyeonggi Province (37.2%). By gender, male single-person households numbered 267,977 (53.4%), exceeding female single-person households at 234,030 (46.6%).
By district, Namdong-gu had the highest number with 87,000 households, followed by Michuhol-gu with 85,000, Seo-gu with 83,000, Bupyeong-gu with 80,000, and Yeonsu-gu with 49,000 households.
Additionally, about 61.7% of all respondents expressed satisfaction with living alone, with satisfaction rates notably higher among younger age groups.
The advantages of single-person households were cited as a free lifestyle (42.8%), securing personal rest and leisure time (19.9%), focusing on one’s own work (12.8%), and no burden of family care (7.7%), in that order.
On the other hand, the biggest inconvenience in daily life for single-person households was meal preparation (36.9%). Male single-person households reported higher difficulties with meal preparation (52.4%) and cleaning/laundry (41%), while female single-person households felt the most inconvenience with home repairs (52.3%).
Regarding policy support needed for single-person households, 'housing stability' was the most requested at 83.1%. This was followed by residential environment improvement (71.4%), health promotion (71.3%), creation of a safe environment (68.4%), support for leisure and cultural activities (67.6%), economic and job support (67.1%), and support for household chores (59.5%).
Among support services for single-person households, respondents expressed willingness to use hospital accompaniment services (63.8%), emotional support (45.5%), and cooking-related programs (44.1%), in that order.
The preferred household types for the future were living alone as now (44.4%), living together with a loved one (35.6%), living with original family (7.4%), living with like-minded people (6.9%), and living with close friends or others (5.6%).
Among respondents, 79.6% were wage earners participating in economic activities, including 61.5% regular employees, 15.9% temporary workers, 12.2% self-employed/business owners, 6.4% daily workers, and 3.8% special employment/freelancers.
Incheon City plans to use the results of this single-person household survey as basic data for establishing a 'Basic Plan for Supporting Single-Person Households' and conducting a 'Study on the Actual Conditions of High-Risk Groups for Solitary Death.'
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