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Koreans generally satisfied with life, but believe others are happier, McDonald's-Gallup survey finds

Published: 23 Dec. 2025, 17:35 Updated: 23 Dec. 2025, 18:34

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

A total of 26.2 percent of respondents said they associated family with the word "happiness" the most, according to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea as commissioned by McDonald's Korea. [MCDONALD'S KOREA]

Koreans are generally satisfied with their lives but believe that "others are happier" than they are, while many pointed to family and small, shared moments — such as eating together — as their main sources of joy, according to a new survey conducted by McDonald's Korea and Gallup Korea released on Tuesday.

The two companies conducted a survey of 1,034 adults aged 20 to 69 across the country from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3 as part of the burger chain's social contribution project, the Happy Burger campaign.

Of the respondents, 48.6 percent of respondents replied that they "felt happy" when asked about their current happiness, while 34 percent said they "felt neutral" and 17.3 percent said they "felt unhappy." When comparing themselves with others, 27.5 percent said they felt happier than others, while 23.6 percent felt less happy.

Among those who described themselves as happy, the most common reasons included having no major difficulties in their daily lives and good relationships with family, friends or coworkers. This corresponded with the widespread view among respondents that happiness developed naturally in everyday life, backed by 77.9 percent of respondents who agreed that "daily happiness strongly influences overall life satisfaction."

Koreans most strongly associated the word “happiness” with family, cited by 26.2 percent, a wide margin over health and comfort, which placed second and third. In response to a question on relationships, it was also family that Koreans said made them the happiest to be with, cited by 58.1 percent, followed by romantic partners at 19 percent, and friends at 12.2 percent.

The Gallup Korea survey also asked respondents about their opinions on how meals shape happiness. A large majority — 62.8 percent — said eating with others led to happiness, with people who preferred eating in groups saying the meals were to "enjoy a fun atmosphere together" and "create connections through conversation."

McDonald's Korea said the survey confirmed how the country finds happiness through everyday experiences and relationships.

Pedestrians walk through an alley of restaurants in Jung District, central Seoul, on Aug. 18. [YONHAP]

“McDonald’s will continue to put gratitude and sharing into action while expanding social contribution initiatives that bring us closer to local communities," the company said in its press release.

The McDonald's survey shows a rosier diagnosis of Korean society than more wide-scale surveys conducted globally.

Korea placed 58th out of 147 countries in the 2025 World Happiness Report, an annual ranking of life evaluations sponsored by the United Nations. The Nordic countries of Finland, Denmark and Iceland claimed the top three spots, while Korean neighbors Taiwan and Japan placed 27th and 55th, respectively. In the United States, which ranked 24th on the World Happiness Report, 44 percent said they are “very satisfied” with their personal lives, according to a Gallup poll conducted in January.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development placed Korea 33rd out of the 38 member countries for life satisfaction in 2023.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]