Asking the same questions in 1979, 1998, and 2010, the study tracked 30 years of Korean values: individualism and gender equality kept rising, and lately people in their 50s have been catching up, narrowing the generation gap a little.
Trends of Value Changes in Korea: Based on 1979, 1998, and 2010 Survey Data
한국인의 가치관 변화 추이: 1979년, 1998년, 및 2010년의 조사결과 비교
QUESTION
Over the past 30 years, in what direction and at what speed have Korean values changed, and is there continuity?
FINDINGS
From 1998 to 2010, as in the 19 years before, "self- and family-centered individualism" and gender equality rose the most.
자신과가족중심개인주의와남녀평등의식이가장크게증가하였다Self- and family-centered individualism and gender equality increased the most.p11979년부터1998년까지의19년동안과마찬가지로1998년부터2010년까지의12년동안에도Just as in the 19 years from 1979 to 1998, during the 12 years from 1998 to 2010 as well…p1From 1979 to 1998 people in their 20s changed faster and the generation gap widened; from 1998 to 2010 people in their 50s changed quickly to keep up with the mainstream, and the gap narrowed a little.
후반12년간은대세에적응하기위한50대의빠른변화로인해세대차가조금줄어들었다In the latter 12 years, the generation gap narrowed somewhat because of the rapid change of people in their 50s adapting to the prevailing trend.p1초반19년간은50대보다20대가더빨리변화하여세대차가크게증가하는결과를가져왔고…in the first 19 years, people in their 20s changed faster than those in their 50s, resulting in a large increase in the generation gap, and…p1A new change in 2010: more people felt there is no need to be especially kind to someone just because they are a foreigner.
외국인이라고하여특별히더친절할필요는없다고생각하는경향이증가한점으로…the increase in the tendency to think there is no particular need to be kinder to someone just because they are a foreigner…p1The authors argue that the stable values supported by a majority of all ages and both genders for 30 years can serve as common ground for communication between generations.
지속적으로남녀노소모두과반수의지지를얻은안정된가치관항목들이대개그기반이될것이다The stable value items that have consistently gained majority support from men and women, young and old, will largely form that foundation.p1930년간지속적으로남녀노소의과반수찬성을얻은가치항목들도소통의공통기반으로중요하다는점을강조하였다The study emphasized that value items that consistently won majority approval across all ages and both sexes for 30 years are also important as a common basis for communication.p1IN DAILY LIFE
Is filial piety (hyo, 효) about caring for your parents or about getting ahead in the world? By 2010, 64.25% said that succeeding in life is the true filial piety, rather than supporting one's parents.
부모봉양보다출세가효도라고생각하는비율이급기야64.25%가…the proportion who think that getting ahead in life, rather than supporting one's parents, is filial piety finally reached 64.25%…p9After marriage, should the husband's family (sidaek, 시댁) and the wife's family (chinjeong, 친정) be treated equally? In 2010, 85.3% of men and 94.5% of women said yes.
2010년에는남성의85.3%,여성의94.5%가시댁과친정을동등하게대해야한다고응답하In 2010, 85.3% of men and 94.5% of women answered that one's husband's family and one's own family should be treated equally.p14In depth
This paper, more closely — every sentence carries an original quote and page number.
Background
People often say "values have changed" or "generations think differently," but studies showing this with real data were hard to find.
그에대한실증적근거를제시한경우는찾아보기힘들다…cases presenting empirical evidence for it are hard to find.p3The earlier 1979–1998 comparison found that the faster a value changed, the wider the generation gap grew; this study checked whether that pattern continued into 2010.
대체로급격히변화하는가치관일수록세대차가더크게증가했으며In general, the more rapidly a value changed, the more the generation gap increased…p41998년부터2010년사이에도기성세대보다젊은세대의변화속도가더빨라,세대차가증가했을것이다…between 1998 and 2010 as well, the younger generation would have changed faster than the older generation, increasing the generation gap.p4Method
The 2010 survey reused the 1998 items so the three time points (1979, 1998, 2010) could be compared — a quasi-longitudinal design combining features of a trend study and a multiple-cohort study.
서울과전국6대광역시및경기도시군부에서성별,연령별,및지역별할당표집으로추출한800명의…800 people sampled by gender, age, and region quotas from Seoul, the six metropolitan cities, and cities and counties of Gyeonggi Province…p4본연구의조사는유사종단적연구(quisi-longitudinalstudy)로서‘경향/추이연구(trend study)’와‘동류집단/중다코호트(multiple-cohorts)’연구의특성을고루가지도록설계되었다The study was designed as a quasi-longitudinal study, combining features of a 'trend study' and a 'multiple-cohorts' study.p41998년에사용했던가치관문항들과동일한문항을이용한설문조사를실시하였다…conducted a survey using the same value items used in 1998.p420대부터50대까지의남녀각100명씩할당표집하여800명에게개별설문조사를실시하였다…quota-sampled 100 men and 100 women in each age group from their 20s to their 50s and conducted individual surveys of 800 people.p1설문조사는2010년5월6일부터28일까지의기간중에이루어졌다The survey was conducted between May 6 and 28, 2010.p7하나마케팅서비스의훈련받은면접자들이표본화된설문지를이용하여1:1개별면접조사Trained interviewers from Hana Marketing Service used a standardized questionnaire in one-on-one individual interviews…p7조사문항은1998년조사시와동일한가치관21문항(자신과가족중심개인주의,탈권위주의,자기주장성,불확실성회피,미래지향성,남녀평등의식,및풍요로운생활차원에서각3문항씩)과탈물질주의측정을위한1문항이었다The items were the same 21 value items as in the 1998 survey (3 each on the dimensions of self-and-family-centered individualism, anti-authoritarianism, assertiveness, uncertainty avoidance, future orientation, gender equality, and affluent living) plus 1 item measuring post-materialism.p1가치관을묻는7개차원(개인주의,탈권위주의,자기주장성,불확실성회피성향,미래지향성,남녀평등의식,풍요로운생활)…the 7 value dimensions (individualism, anti-authoritarianism, assertiveness, uncertainty avoidance, future orientation, gender equality, affluent living)…p7개방형질문이아닌양자택일의폐쇄형질문을함으로써…by asking closed, either-or questions rather than open-ended ones…p19Detailed findings
Since 1979, a steadily growing share of people have said that chunghyo (충효) — loyalty to the nation and filial piety — is not very important.
1979년부터지속적으로점점더충효사상이그리중요하지않다고생각하는비율이높아졌다Since 1979, the proportion who think the ideology of loyalty and filial piety is not very important has steadily increased.p9Choosing "oneself and one's family" over "the nation" as what a person should hold highest rose 17.38% compared with 1998.
1998년에비해자신과가족중심개인주의가치관이17.38% 증가했다Compared with 1998, self- and family-centered individualism increased by 17.38%.p9사람이가장떠받들어야할것으로나라를택할것인지자신과가족을택할것인지를묻는내용이었는데…asked whether people would choose the nation or themselves and their family as what one should revere most…p9The view that premarital chastity need not be kept reached a majority of 61.63% in 2010, becoming a mainstream value — the item with the largest change over time in the 2010 survey.
2010년에는과반수인61.63%가되어마침내주류가치관으로진입하였다In 2010, it reached a majority of 61.63%, finally entering the mainstream.p132010년도조사결과에서시대변화가무려32.78%로가장크다In the 2010 survey results, the change over time was the largest, at a full 32.78%.p13Answers that foreigners should be treated the same as Koreans, or with less kindness, rose by as much as 24.58% compared with 1998.
외국인을대할때한국인과똑같이대하거나덜친절해야한다고응답한결과가1998년에비해24.58%나증가하였다Answers that one should treat foreigners the same as Koreans or be less kind increased by as much as 24.58% compared with 1998.p11On "to be happy together, you should ask for things to be fixed rather than endure complaints," men scored far higher in 1979, but women scored higher in 2010 — a reversal between the genders.
자기주장성경향에남녀간역전현상이일어나고있음을알수있다…shows that a reversal between men and women is occurring in assertiveness.p10함께행복하려면불만을참기보다시정을요구해야한다고응답한비율이1979년에는큰남녀차를보였다(남자81.0%,여자48.0%)The share answering that, to be happy together, one should demand correction rather than endure complaints showed a large gender gap in 1979 (men 81.0%, women 48.0%).p102010년대에와서는오히려남성보다여성의비율이더높은결과In the 2010s, the result instead showed a higher rate among women than men…p10Saying you should point it out when a superior is wrong is still the majority answer, but it moved backward compared with 1998.
응답률변화의방향성측면에서는10.07% 역행한것이다…in terms of the direction of change, it reversed by 10.07%.p10여전히남녀모두윗사람틀릴때지적해야한다고응답한비율이높지만Although the share of both men and women answering that one should point out a superior's mistake is still high…p101998년의경우(남90.6%,여83.3%)와달리,2010년에는남녀모두감소경향(남75.3%,여78.5%)이나타났다Unlike 1998 (men 90.6%, women 83.3%), in 2010 both men and women showed a decline (men 75.3%, women 78.5%).p10The share of materialists (people whose values put economic growth and achievement first), which had surged right after the IMF financial crisis, fell sharply in the 2010 survey.
IMF위기가지나자당시급등했던물질주의자의비율이급격히낮아지고…once the IMF crisis had passed, the proportion of materialists, which had surged at the time, fell sharply…p16이에비해2010년의조사결과에서는IMF위기가지나자By contrast, in the 2010 survey results, once the IMF crisis had passed…p16이성적·합법적권위의기반위에서경제성장과성취동기에역점을두었던시대가물질주의의시대라면If the era that emphasized economic growth and achievement motivation on the basis of rational-legal authority was the era of materialism…p7Because both generations changed so much, people in their 50s in 2010 held far more liberal views on premarital chastity than people in their 20s did 30 years earlier.
30년이지난2010년의50대(혼전순결불필요44.0%)가오히려30년전의20대(혼전순결불필요19.3%)보다훨씬더진보적인가치관을지니고…people in their 50s in 2010 (44.0% say premarital chastity is unnecessary) hold far more progressive values than people in their 20s 30 years earlier (19.3%)…p19두세대모두아주큰가치관의변화를겪어온결과As a result of both generations having undergone very large changes in values…p19Authors’ interpretation
The older generation adapting quickly and narrowing the gap can be seen as the result of an unspoken pressure toward agreement in a society where people live together.
함께사는사회에서일치를향한암묵적압력이어느정도작용한결과라고할수있다It can be said to be the result of an implicit pressure toward consensus operating to some degree in a society where people live together.p19그러나2010년조사에서기성세대의발빠른적응으로세대차가줄어들고있는가치관항목들이발견된것은고무적이다However, it is encouraging that the 2010 survey found value items in which the generation gap is narrowing thanks to the older generation's quick adaptation.p19Korea is known for big generation gaps, yet there are also many values on which everyone agrees.
한국인은세대차도크지만여전히합의를이루는가치관도많다Koreans have large generation gaps, but there are still many values on which they reach consensus.p19A new issue: Korea is rapidly becoming a country that receives immigrants, yet the generation gap over favoring foreigners is growing.
급격한이주수용국으로변하고있는데외국인우대가치관에대한세대차는커지고있다…is rapidly becoming an immigration-receiving country, yet the generation gap in values about favoring foreigners is growing.p1921세기들어새로이등장한문제를짚어본다면If we point out a problem newly emerging in the 21st century…p19Limits the authors note
The two-choice (closed) questions left no room for free answers.
개방형질문이아닌양자택일의폐쇄형질문을함으로써자유로운응답이배제되었다By asking closed, two-choice questions rather than open-ended ones, free responses were excluded.p19Sampling methods differed slightly across the three surveys, so how representative each sample is may vary by period.
세시점에서조금씩다른표집방식을사용했기때문에,시기별표본의대표성정도가다를수있다Because slightly different sampling methods were used at the three points, the representativeness of each period's sample may differ.p20Key terms
Civil indifference Not interfering with others because you don't want to be interfered with yourself — a way of recognizing and protecting each other (a term from Goffman).
자신도간섭받고싶지않기때문에간섭하지않는다는존재론적안전의욕구에서비롯되어…stemming from the need for ontological security — not interfering because one does not want to be interfered with oneself…p10서로를인정하고보호하기위한수단을설명하기위해고프만이제시한용어이다…a term proposed by Goffman to explain a means of recognizing and protecting one another.p10Post-materialism A shift away from an era focused on economic growth and achievement, toward placing less weight on authority and more on individual rights, quality of life, and people's own sense of well-being.
권위를덜강조하며개인의권리와삶의질을중요시하고주관적안녕감을극대화하는방향으로…placing less emphasis on authority, valuing individual rights and quality of life, and moving toward maximizing subjective well-being…p7이성적·합법적권위의기반위에서경제성장과성취동기에역점을두었던시대가물질주의의시대라면If the era that emphasized economic growth and achievement motivation on the basis of rational-legal authority was the era of materialism…p7Dynamic values Unlike stable "mainstream values," values that change quickly, with the young leading first and the older generation adapting afterward.
급격히변하여젊은층이먼저주도하고뒤이어기성세대가대세에적응해가는변화하는‘역동적가치관’…'dynamic values' that change rapidly, led first by the young and followed by the older generation adapting to the prevailing trend.p19가장근본이되며잘변하지않는합의된‘주류가치관’…the agreed-upon 'mainstream values' that are most fundamental and change little…p19