The Korea Consumer Agency (President: Young-seen Kim, www.kca.go.kr) conducted a nation survey on ‘Consumption Pattern and Consciousness’, targeting 2,000 adults aged between 20 and over and under 70. According to the survey results, consumers ranked ‘higher prices (32.3%)’, ‘sales of harmful products (26.5%)’, and ‘false and misleading advertisement (26.3%)’ as the biggest consumer issue.

※ A face-to-face interview was given to 2,000 adults (female and male) aged over 20 (nationwide) during July 5^th ~ Aug. 19^th , 2011. This survey has a 95 percent confidence level with plus or minus 2.19 percent error.

Respondents’ satisfaction on consumption life in general was at 2.9 point (out of 5), slightly lower than the average. Meanwhile, 56.7% of the interviewees said that their livelihoods had no significant change, while the 29.9% answered the livelihood went down. However, 41.1% of the respondents were found to still maintain a positive attitude that they will be better off. Among expenditure items for consumption life, expense for diet weighed on the budget of household the most (53.6%), followed by expenses for education, transportation, utility fees, and a loan rate at 43.4%, 30.6%, 25.4%, and 24.0%, respectively.

Meanwhile, confidence in safety of agricultural, marine, and livestock products was found to be quite low as seen in 79.2% of the respondents with negative view. Majority of the survey partcipiants ranked harmful food addictives and endocrine disruptor as the most hazardous factor to health. Also, two (64.7%) out of three respondents answered that they made efforts to empower their consumer rights for themselves. 

Meanwhile, regarding consumers’ responsibility such as purchasing environment-friendly products, more and more consumers were found to have increasing interest and also try to purchase them. But on the flip side of the coin, concerns and dissatisfaction also increased about the products after using them, according to the survey results.