1. Study Objectives and Methods

￮ Since the social values and awareness of residents are important factors in determining the overall awareness of Jeollanbuk-do generally as well as Korean society, there is a need for research that objectively diagnoses and analyzes the standards for the residents’ value judgements regarding key social issues. 

￮ By objectively diagnosing the subjective awareness of residents regarding key social values, the results can be utilized as important base data for setting the policy direction of the Jeollabuk-do administration.

￮ Diagnosis of resident awareness regarding family or social values, or the subjective awareness and attitude regarding future prospects of political and economic situations, can be utilized as important grounds for policy development centered on residents.

￮ By investigating the residents’ attitude towards Jeollabuk-do’s key pending issues (low fertility rate and population crisis; social participation and common identity; and the level of social trust and identity among residents), the results can be used as important reference data for diagnosing the current level of social values perceived by residents of Jeollabuk-do and determining the direction of policies for its future.

￮ In this study, a thousand residents residing in Jeollabuk-do were surveyed to discover the subjective awareness of Jeollabuk-do residents regarding general social values.

￮ The targets for the survey were adults living within Jeollabuk-do aged 19 or older, and online surveys and interviews were both utilized. An online panel of the resident monitoring group and investigating agency managed by the Jeonbuk Institute conducted the sampling of survey participants. The sample was divided according to the population composition ratio and gender ratio of men and women in 14 cities and counties within the province.

￮ The Jeollabuk-do resident value survey consisted of questions regarding awareness concerning family and social values; political awareness and evaluation of economic situations; identity and trust as residents and citizens; evaluation of social activities; and the environment of the local community.

2. Conclusion and Policy Suggestions

￮ Regarding awareness of Jeollabuk-do residents’ social values, respondents answered that they value personality as the most important feature when selecting a partner, followed by financial means, household environment, appearance, and future potential. 

￮ Regarding ideal number of children (an important standard to estimate fertility rate), 63.1% answered two, 20.2% three, and 10.0% one, so the number of ideal number of children showed a gap with reality, as the total fertility rate is only 0.8 children. 

￮ Approximately 44.5% of Jeollabuk-do residents perceived that there is discrimination against females, and 34.9% of the men also thought there is discrimination against females.

￮ Regarding the political inclination of respondents, 45.6% were liberal, which was a higher number than 38.6% who were in the middle, and 50.4% were interested in politics, which was double the 20.4% who said they were not interested. This shows that Jeollabuk-do residents with a liberal political inclination are most interested in politics.

￮ Regarding evaluation of financial living standards, 34.9% of respondents perceived themselves as lower middle class, while less than one third that figure perceived themselves as upper middle class, at 11.4%, which shows that most Jeollabuk-do residents perceive themselves as lower middle class.

￮ Regarding job satisfaction , 48.2% of respondents said that they were satisfied, a number much higher than for those who were dissatisfied. Compensation, personal aptitude, and future potential were some of the factors that respondents considered most important when choosing an occupation.

￮ The survey on plans for children, appropriate number of children, plans to move, etc. can be used as important reference data for setting the overall direction of Jeollabuk-do’s family and population policies. 

￮ Moreover, the sense of belonging and identity as a Jeollabuk-do resident, and prospects about the local economy can become meaningful implications for deducing implementation tasks to nurture its future industries.​