Life Satisfaction Improves for Gyeonggi Residents Under 8th Administration... Income Distribution Inequality Decreases

The results show that life satisfaction among Gyeonggi Province residents has significantly improved during the 8th popularly elected administration. Gyeonggi Province announced the findings of the "2025 Gyeonggi Province Social Survey" on January 20.

Previously, from August 20 to September 3 of last year, Gyeonggi Province conducted a social survey on 59,942 individuals aged 15 and older from 31,740 households in the province. The survey covered six areas: welfare, housing and transportation, culture and leisure, education, income and consumption, and jobs and labor.

The results for 2025 are characterized by a gradual yet consistent improvement in overall life satisfaction and happiness, participation in leisure, culture, and tourism, perceptions of daily life and safety, and the general sense of the economy, as observed from 2021 to 2025.

When asked to rate their life satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10, the most common response among Gyeonggi Province residents was "average" (5 points) at 33.7%. This was followed by 8 points (17%) and 7 points (16.7%). The average score was 6.3 points. The average scores were 5.8 in 2021, 6.3 in 2022, 6.2 in 2023, and 6.4 in 2024.

As of the survey date, the happiness level was 6.5 points, up from 6.0 in 2021 and 6.4 in 2023.

Gyeonggi Province attributes the simultaneous rise in life satisfaction (average 5.8→6.3) and happiness (average 6.0→6.5) to improvements in subjective indicators, which appear to be linked to an increase in external activities such as leisure and tourism, greater satisfaction with residential environments, and a decrease in the experience of difficulties in making a living-reflecting overall positive changes in daily life.

However, the province explained that subjective indicators are influenced by a variety of factors, including economic, health, and household circumstances, and therefore, it is appropriate to view the results as the outcome of multiple factors rather than attributing them to a single cause.

Current Status of Life Satisfaction Among Gyeonggi Province Residents Surveyed by Gyeonggi Province

Additionally, the perception that income distribution is "unfair" decreased from 62.2% in 2021 to 59.1% in 2023, and further to 50.6% in 2025.

The experience of difficulties in making a living also eased, dropping from 46.0% to 39.6% in 2023 and 38.2% in 2025.

Although the perceived economy remains challenging, the intensity of distribution and livelihood pressures felt by residents has improved considerably.

Tourism participation also saw a significant increase-rising by 23.4 percentage points in 2023 compared to 2021, and reaching 67.4% in 2025, which is even higher than the 61.6% recorded in 2019.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "The results of this social survey show that leisure and tourism activities are expanding in residents' daily lives, and that both life satisfaction and happiness are becoming solidly established at a certain level. We will continue to enhance the utility of the Gyeonggi Province Social Survey to monitor changes as experienced by residents, and we hope for active participation from residents to further improve the quality of the survey."