Only three in 10 Koreans believe that they or their children can climb the social, economic ladder
Published: 11 Nov. 2025, 19:59
![An illustration depicting social mobility [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/327f8343-5566-46b2-8ff1-1ba809cd5c5b.jpg)
An illustration depicting social mobility [JOONGANG ILBO]
Only three in 10 Koreans believe that they or their children will rise in social or economic status, according to a new government survey released on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Data and Statistics conducted a nationwide survey on 34,000 respondents — aged 13 or older — from 19,000 sample households in May. According to the survey, 29.1 percent of Koreans aged 19 or older believe their own chances of upward mobility are high, up 2.7 percentage points from two years ago.
Those who believe their children will move up the social ladder stood at 29.9 percent, a 0.8 percentage point increase. Still, more than half of the respondents said upward mobility remains difficult — 57.7 percent for themselves and 54.1 percent for their children.
Opinions on the potential and availability of opportunities varied sharply by current social and economic standing. Six in 10 respondents, or 61.6 percent, identified themselves as middle class, the same as two years ago, and 34.6 percent saw themselves as lower class. Only 3.8 percent considered themselves upper class. Women were more likely than men to identify as lower class, at 36 percent compared to 33.2 percent.
Among those who consider themselves upper class, 45.2 percent said their children are likely to move up the social hierarchy. That figure dropped to 33.7 percent for those in the middle class and 21.6 percent for those in the lower class, reflecting ongoing concerns about inherited poverty.
![Tourists view the landscape in Namsan, central Seoul, on Oct. 9. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/307a8a51-c80a-43a6-b389-f5102da016e7.jpg)
Tourists view the landscape in Namsan, central Seoul, on Oct. 9. [YONHAP]
The survey also examined loneliness for the first time. Among respondents aged 13 and older, 38.2 percent said they often feel lonely. The rate was highest among those aged 65 and older at 43.4 percent, followed by people in their 60s at 42.2 percent and in their 50s at 41.7 percent. Even among teenagers, 30.3 percent reported feeling lonely.
Trust in Korean society fell to 54.6 percent, down 3.5 percentage points from two years ago — the first decline since data on social trust began in 2019. Teenagers expressed the highest level of trust at 59.7 percent. That rate was lower for younger demographics: 52 percent for those in their 20s and 49.1 percent for those in their 30s.
Among people aged 13 to 34, large corporations were the most desired workplaces at 28.7 percent, followed by public enterprises at 18.6 percent and government institutions at 15.8 percent. While the ranking remained unchanged from two years ago, the preference for large companies reached an all-time high.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM KYUNG-HEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)