Signal Survey: public points to demographic change, experts to new growth engines as Korea's main 2026 challenge

Summary

Asked which national challenge Korea will face in 2026, the two survey groups answered differently. The options covered deepening demographic change, the need to find new growth engines, youth employment, widening social disparities, changes in employment structure, the international cooperation environment and security uncertainty. Among the public, deepening demographic change was the most common answer, with growth engines, youth employment and social disparities also drawing substantial shares. Experts, by contrast, concentrated heavily on the need to find new growth engines, with demographic change in second place. Employment-structure change and the international cooperation environment drew only small shares in both groups, showing citizens weighting population and jobs while experts focus on future sources of growth.