Research Reports
2014 Public Opinion Survey on Agriculture and Rural Areas
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AuthorKim, Dongweon
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Publication Date2015.03.02
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Original
The 2014 Public Opinion Survey on Agriculture and Rural Areas was conducted to about 2,700 people including 1,500 urbanites and 1,209 farmers by face-to-face interviews and mail for a month from late October 2014. The survey focused on the respondents’ recognition of the value of agriculture and rural communities, changes in awareness of rural life, and demand for agricultural policies.
According to the survey results, a positive evaluation of the value and role of agriculture and rural villages prevailed. The support rate for more taxes for public value and function maintenance of agriculture and rural areas increased, and 50.9% of city people agreed to expanding investment in farming and rural communities. Moreover, most respondents positively evaluated the traditional role of agriculture and farm villages including their value and contribution to the national economy.
Nevertheless, a favorable environment is weakening as purchase loyalty to domestic agricultural products is falling. 67.2% of the respondents answered, “The more the agricultural market is opened, the more advantageous it is to consumers,” and those who answered that they would buy domestic agricultural products despite expensive prices decreased to 29.5%. The support rate for expanding the welfare budget for rural areas is 54.2%, much higher than the opposition rate. However, the support rate is on the decline.
The respondents had a positive outlook on agriculture’s future growth industrialization and Korean agriculture’s sustainability. Special crops were pointed out as an item with the highest growth potential, followed by fruit and vegetables. The respondents thought that domestic agrifood safety and rural tourism conditions were improving.
Farmers were very interested in the prices of agricultural products and income stabilization plans, and although farmers’ satisfaction with life was on the rise, satisfaction with their job dropped. They showed the most interest in the issue of farm prices, and 68.7% of farms said that they needed to hire workers, and 70.6% of the farms answered that they had difficulties in securing manpower. The respondents considered agricultural market opening, increased production costs, and labor shortage as important factors threatening management. Farmers who were satisfied with rural life quadrupled to 43.8% in 10 years, but only 19.9% expressed satisfaction with their job.
When Korean and Japanese agriculture and rural areas were compared, the outlook on rural resources and value maintenance was much more positive in Japan than in Korea. Japan’s support was also higher in assessment of domestic agricultural products’ excellence compared to imports than Korea’s. However, the Japanese were more anxious over future food supply and demand than the Koreans.
Researchers: Kim Dong-weon and Park Hye-jin
Research period: 2014. 1. ~ 2014. 12.
E-mail address: dongweon@krei.re.kr, frog78@krei.re.kr
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