The 2022 Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS): Descriptive Report

Abstract

Social welfare policy should cope flexibly with the changes in the people's economic status, consumption expenditures, value judgments, and the status of the economy-wide income distribution, poverty and inequality. However, existing cross-sectional survey data are insufficient for analysis of the socio-economic dynamics because the age and cohort effects are not identifiable. To overcome such limitations, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) and Seoul National University (SNU) organized the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS) in 2006. In 2022, the 17th wave of KOWEPS was carried out. There were three types of questionnaires for the survey: the first was for the households, the second for the household members aged 15 and over, and the third for the particular topics(supplements). The content of KOWEPS is composed of socioeconomic information, welfare status, and attitude toward the welfare or something for individuals and households. The particular topic for this wave is ‘Awareness on Welfare’. In this 17th wave, we completed about 7,865 household samples including both the original and the added new households.

This descriptive report provides a wide variety of content about the general features, the economic conditions, the employment status, social security, welfare needs and the special topics for the 17th-year surveys. The results could be reference data for the researchers who would use KOWEPS.