The Role of Safety and Play in Enhancing Happiness Among Youth in Korea: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction

Background/Purpose: The Korean governments have implemented the First Basic Plan for Child Policy (2015-2019) to improve children's happiness, but a comparative study on the Happiness Index of Youth among OECD countries shows that the life satisfaction and happiness scores among youth in Korea has dropped between 2018 and 2021, and were ranked at the lowest level. Studies found individual characteristics, interpersonal relationship, and life satisfaction as key predictors of happiness. However, there is a dearth of empirical research examining the role of safety and play on life satisfaction and subjective happiness among youth in Korea.

In 2020, Forbes ranked South Korea as the world's third safest country, but youth are not free from drugs, violence, and safety accidents. The number of teen drug offenders was increased 11-fold in the past decade. Also, the Halloween Party Crush in 2022 took away more than 150 young lives in the middle of a jam-packed road. These tragedies arouse the awareness of the public safety for the minors. Play/leisure is also a crucial part of the balanced youth development and the happiness, but youths are still under the pressure of the excessively competitive reality and not able to rest and play as much as they need. Only half of the teens in Korea spent 30 minutes or more in physical activities at least once a week.

This study has three research questions: (1) What specific factors of safety affect the life satisfaction and happiness? (2) What specific factors of play/leisure affect the life satisfaction and happiness? (3) Does life satisfaction play a mediating role in the relationship between safety/play and happiness?

Methods: For this cross-sectional survey research, a self-administered online survey was conducted in 2021 for 1,153 youth residing in Y city, Korea. We used the 'child-friendliness survey’ provided by the Korean Committee of UNICEF. The safety domain has 15 items like gang activities, violence, dangerous drugs, and the level of care in the community. The play/leisure domain includes 7 items such as having free time, safe area to play, cultural events, and out-of-school programs. Each item was measured with a 3-point Likert scale. The life satisfaction and subjective happiness variables were measured with a 7-point Likert scale. A stepwise regression analysis and Sobel test were performed.

Results (1) exposure to violence, abuse, bullying, and dangerous drug were found as safety-related factors negatively affecting the life satisfaction and happiness. (2) having free time and out-of-school activities were found as play/leisure-related factors that affect the life satisfaction and happiness. (3) life satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between play/leisure and happiness as well as safety and happiness.

Conclusions and Implications: The second Korean Basic Plan for Children Policy (2020-2024) aims to raise the youth’s happiness to the average level of OECD countries. To achieve the goal, social changes in the perception of youth’s right to play and safety are necessary, and policy support should be accompanied, such as enacting laws to guarantee children’s right to rest and providing evidence-based drug and violence prevention programs and services.