South Koreans with higher education, income and no children are more likely to perceive themselves as healthier than their peers, according to the Korea Health Promotion Institute’s recent survey.
The survey of 2000 adults aged 19-70, found that 39.4 percent of respondents with a university degree or higher considered themselves healthier than others their age, compared to 29.5 percent of those with a high school diploma or less. Similarly, 38.5 percent of economically active respondents rated their health positively, compared to 29 percent of economically inactive respondents.
Income played a significant role in health perceptions. Those earning between 6 and 8 million won ($4,300-$5.700) per month reported the highest percentage of positive health perceptions at 52.5 percent, followed by those earning more than 8 million won at 41.8 percent, between 4 to 6 million won at 38.2 percent, and less than 2 million won at 31.2 percent.
Parental status also appeared to have an impact on perceptions of health. Respondents without children were more likely to view their health positively, with 39 percent rating themselves as healthy compared those with children at 35.7 percent.
