Time Spent with Family Tops Achievements, Financial Management Leads Regrets
Cash Preferred as Gifts, Year-End Plans Focus on Resting at Home
In a year-end survey reflecting on the past year, respondents cited "time spent with family" as their proudest achievement of the year, while "financial investment" was most frequently mentioned as their biggest regret. When it came to year-end gifts, cash and gift certificates were the most preferred choices, and although more people planned for rest or travel, the majority actually intended to relax at home.
The Christmas market at Gwanghwamun Square bustling with citizens welcoming the year-end. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Lotte Members announced on the 16th the results of a survey conducted through the research platform "Lime" from November 20 to 22, targeting 1,000 adults nationwide.
When asked to look back on the year, 28% of respondents (multiple responses allowed) chose "time spent with family" as their best accomplishment. "Regular exercise" followed at 27.2%, and "time spent with friends and acquaintances" was also a major response at 14.1%.
On the other hand, "financial investment" was most frequently cited as the biggest regret, with 23.7% (multiple responses allowed) selecting this option. This suggests that concerns about asset management amid uncertain economic conditions were reflected in year-end self-assessments.
Cash Tops Gift Preferences... Most Plan to Rest at Home for the Holidays
Practicality was a clear trend in year-end gift preferences. The desire to give cash or gift certificates was expressed by 35.6% of respondents, while 41.5% said they would like to receive them-both the highest proportions. Excluding cash and gift certificates, the most popular gifts to give were health supplements (8.2%), clothing (5.5%), and scarves or gloves (5.1%). The most desired gifts, aside from cash and gift certificates, were IT devices (6.7%), jewelry (5%), and clothing (4.5%).
Those who said they had made plans for rest or travel during the year-end period accounted for 43.3%, an increase of 12.9 percentage points from last year. However, when asked about specific plans, "resting at home" was the most common response at 41.3% (multiple responses allowed), followed by domestic travel (39.5%), year-end parties (33%), cultural activities (29.6%), and overseas travel (19.6%).
Jeju Most Preferred for Domestic Travel, Japan Clearly Favored for Overseas Trips
Among planned travel destinations, Jeju was the most preferred domestic location at 32.2%, followed by Gangneung and Sokcho (20.5%), Busan (13.5%), and Daejeon (5.3%). Compared to last year's survey, where Gangneung and Sokcho, Seoul, and Jeju and Pohang were the top destinations, there has been some shift in preferences.
For overseas travel, Japan remained the most popular destination at 45.9%, maintaining its lead from last year. Southeast Asia (28.2%), Europe (7.1%), and the Americas (5.9%) followed. In last year's survey, Southeast Asia narrowly surpassed Japan (25.6% vs. 24.4%), but this year, preference for Japan has increased significantly.
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