48% of South Korean people exposed to depression due to pandemic - survey

About half of South Korean citizens experience depression amid the spread of coronavirus infection. This is reported by KBS with reference to representatives of the Research Institute of Gyeongido Province (GRE). According to a survey conducted in April this year among 1,500 people over the age of 15, 48% of respondents reported feeling anxious or depressed by the coronavirus pandemic. On age group the indicator among persons aged from ten years was 40%, at the age of 20 29 years of 44.5%, at the age of 30 39 years of 46.5%, at the age of 40 49 years of 48.2%, at the age of 50 59 years of 52.2%. Most respondents estimated the stress level from the pandemic to be 3.5 points out of 5, 1.5 times higher than during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic and 1.1 times higher than after the Sevol ferry crash. 67.3% of respondents express sympathy for the infected, 16.2% experience anger and resentment, 16.5% feel nothing about the infected. When asked about the emotions that citizens experience when they hear news about coronavirus, 22.7% experience resentment, 16.3% despair, 19.2% sense of support. 49.6% of respondents reported the need for psychological support.