A recent survey indicates that the happiness index for Seoul citizens has improved slightly to 6.61, with significant concerns focused on overcrowding and regional disparities.
On the 25th, Seoul city released the results of the '2025 Seoul Survey', which highlights the perceptions of citizens regarding pressing issues in the city. According to the survey, conducted since 2003, Seoul residents pointed to 'overcrowding and regional disparities due to metropolitan concentration' as the top issue (22.2%), closely followed by high housing costs and insecurity (22%). Respondents also expressed concerns about social sustainability limitations stemming from population decline, showing a clear focus on housing and population issues.
When discussing long-term challenges in the city, similar trends have emerged. The issue of housing insecurity topped the responses at 26.6%, followed by regional disparities (21.9%) and population decline (10.8%). These persistent issues underline a critical conversation around housing and metropolitan concentration being significant concerns both in short and long-term contexts.
The happiness index among Seoul citizens is recorded at 6.61, reflecting a slight increase from the previous year's score of 6.54. This improvement encompasses numerous aspects of life, including health, financial status, family, and social life, indicating an overall trend towards enhanced life satisfaction. Notably, the satisfaction with green spaces among citizens reached its highest at 63.4%, marking an 8.3 percentage point increase from the last year, suggesting a positive shift in public perception of the city's environmental conditions.
