Middle-aged South Koreans increasingly see caring for elderly parents as a responsibility to be shared with the government and society rather than one borne by families alone. More are also prioritizing a balance between work and home life and preparing earlier for retirement.
The National Data Agency released an analysis on the 21st, drawing on its social survey, of how attitudes toward family, work, retirement and health have changed among people aged 40 to 64. Because the social survey covers different sections on a two-year cycle, the comparisons span either 2014 to 2024 or 2015 to 2025, depending on the item.
The share of respondents who said families, the government and society should jointly bear responsibility for supporting parents rose to 65.0% in 2024 from 49.0% in 2014, a gain of 15.9 percentage points. Those who said families alone should be responsible fell to 16.7% from 29.8%, while the share saying parents should provide for themselves declined to 13.4% from 16.7%. The shift suggests that parental care is increasingly viewed as a responsibility society shares rather than an obligation of individual families.
Calls for sharing roles within the family also grew louder. The share who said housework should be divided equally between spouses jumped 26.5 percentage points to 64.4% from 37.9%. The proportion who said they actually divide it equally also rose, to 22.1% from 14.2%, but fell short of the change in attitudes. Satisfaction with overall family relationships climbed to 59.9% from 48.6% over the same period.
The center of gravity in daily life has also moved from work toward a balance between work and home. The share of middle-aged people who said they put work first fell to 35.0% in 2025 from 54.1% in 2015. Those who said they value work and family life about equally rose to 47.6% from 35.5%, and the share prioritizing family life increased to 17.4% from 10.4%.
Assessments of their financial situation improved somewhat, but job insecurity persisted. Among middle-aged heads of household, the share reporting higher household income than a year earlier rose to 23.8% from 17.7%, while those reporting increased debt fell to 22.6% from 26.6%. Among the employed, the share who said they feel anxious about losing their job or having to change jobs fell to 55.8% from 61.0%, still above half. In 2025, the rate was highest among those in their 40s, at 57.4%.
Retirement preparation also expanded. The share who said they are preparing for retirement or have already done so rose to 81.9% in 2025 from 75.8% in 2015. Those citing the National Pension Service (NPS) as their main method of preparation increased to 61.0% from 51.7%. Asked what society should provide to support life in retirement, 34.4% pointed to income support, followed by medical and long-term care services at 30.3% and help finding work in later life at 25.6%. Demand for medical and long-term care services rose 11.4 percentage points from a decade earlier, the largest increase among the categories.
Views on health also turned more positive. The share who rated their own health as good rose to 50.2% in 2024 from 42.6% in 2014, while those who said they feel stress in daily life fell to 42.6% from 70.1%. The rate of those getting regular medical checkups climbed to 90.5% from 71.7%.
Leisure showed a gap between hopes and reality. In 2025, the activities middle-aged people most often did on weekends were watching video content and resting, each at 73.9%. Asked what they would do if they had more time and money, 71.1% chose travel, followed by hobbies and self-development at 45.7%. Satisfaction with how they spend their leisure time rose to 38.9% from 23.9% over the decade.
