Job insecurity among middle-aged workers has slightly eased over the past decade, but remains a concern for more than half of this demographic. Meanwhile, there is a growing recognition that family members and society should share the responsibility of supporting aging parents, alongside increased focus on retirement planning and health management. Notably, demands for income support have expanded to include medical and caregiving services.
According to a report released by the National Data Agency on September 21, the proportion of middle-aged individuals who believe that the responsibility for supporting aging parents should be shared among family, government, and society rose from 49.0% in 2014 to 65.0% in 2024, an increase of 15.9 percentage points. Conversely, those who felt that only families should bear this responsibility dropped from 29.8% to 16.7%, a decrease of 13.2 percentage points.
Perceptions regarding household responsibilities have also shifted. The percentage of middle-aged individuals who believe that couples should share household duties equally increased from 37.9% in 2014 to 64.4% in 2024, a rise of 26.5 percentage points. However, the actual rate of equitable household division only grew from 14.2% to 22.1% during the same period, indicating a gap between perception and reality.
Priorities between work and family life have changed as well. The percentage of respondents prioritizing work, which was 54.1% in 2015, fell to 35.0% by 2025, a decrease of 19.1 percentage points. In contrast, those who value work and family life equally rose from 35.5% to 47.6%, an increase of 12.1 percentage points. Additionally, those prioritizing family life increased from 10.4% to 17.4%.
Satisfaction with family relationships has improved. The percentage of middle-aged individuals expressing satisfaction with their overall family relationships rose from 48.6% in 2014 to 59.9% in 2024, an increase of 11.3 percentage points. By gender, in 2024, 80.1% of men reported satisfaction with their relationship with their spouse, while 79.1% of women expressed satisfaction with their relationship with their children.
Perceptions of economic conditions have also seen some improvement. The proportion of respondents reporting an increase in household income rose from 17.7% in 2015 to 23.8% in 2025, an increase of 6.0 percentage points. Conversely, those reporting an increase in household debt decreased from 26.6% to 22.6%, a drop of 4.0 percentage points.
However, job insecurity remains high. Among employed middle-aged individuals, those feeling insecure about job loss or transition decreased from 61.0% in 2015 to 55.8% in 2025, a reduction of 5.2 percentage points, but still above half. By age group, job insecurity was highest among those in their 40s at 57.4%, followed by 55.9% in their 50s and 51.6% for those aged 60 to 64.
The percentage of middle-aged individuals preparing for retirement or feeling prepared increased from 75.8% in 2015 to 81.9% in 2025, a rise of 6.1 percentage points. The proportion citing the national pension as a retirement preparation tool increased from 51.7% to 61.0%, while private pensions decreased from 11.7% to 5.4%, and savings and insurance products dropped from 19.9% to 14.7%.
There has been a growing demand for social support for retirement, particularly for medical and caregiving services, which rose from 18.9% in 2015 to 30.3% in 2025, an increase of 11.4 percentage points. In 2025, the highest demand was for income support at 34.4%, followed by medical and caregiving services at 30.3%, and employment support for retirees at 25.6%.
Health management practices have also improved. The percentage of middle-aged individuals receiving regular health check-ups increased from 71.7% in 2014 to 90.5% in 2024, an increase of 18.8 percentage points, while those exercising regularly rose from 38.6% to 46.8%. The proportion of individuals rating their health as 'good' increased from 42.6% to 50.2%. Additionally, the percentage of respondents feeling stressed in their daily lives decreased from 70.1% to 42.6%, a drop of 27.5 percentage points.
In leisure activities, a gap exists between actual and desired activities. In 2025, the most common weekend leisure activities were watching video content and resting, each at 73.9%. However, when asked about desired leisure activities if time and financial resources allowed, tourism topped the list at 71.1%, followed by hobbies and self-development activities at 45.7%, and cultural and artistic events at 34.8%.
A representative from the National Data Agency stated, 'Middle-aged individuals are experiencing changes across various life domains, including family, work, health, and retirement. We will continue to closely monitor changes in public life and perceptions through social surveys and provide statistics and data that support policies across the life cycle.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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