• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.79-87
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• 2015

This study explored low-income households' experiences and perception of home energy cost burdens and determinants of the perceived home energy cost burdens. Between March and July 2014, a questionnaire survey was administered in Cheongju, South Korea. Among the 434 useable responses collected, responses from 218 households with monthly income less than 2,500,000 Korean Won (KRW) were compared with those of 216 households with higher incomes. The main findings are as follows. In the past three years, more than 10 percent of low-income households had had their electricity cut off; 5.7 percent had had their city gas cut off. To pay for their home energy expenses, nearly 70 percent of the low-income households had had to limit their heating, cooling or spending for other necessities; 38.3 percent had to borrow money. Low-income households reported more problems paying for home energy than higher-income households did. Households with more negative evaluation of rainwater leak, no one staying at home all day, monthly income less than 1,500,000 KRW and householders in their 40s and 50s tended to perceive a heavier home energy cost burden. Finally, the most popular support programs were fuel assistance and discounts on energy bills.

• Anayses & Alternatives
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.105-123
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• 2020

This study analyzes the risk selection behavior of Japanese households. The study approaches the view of 'the hyperbolic discount' which is used in behavioral economics based on the rise in mortgage lending by low-income households in the late 2000s. The study focuses on how households risk preferences vary by income levels. The study analyzes the relationship of attitude of household interest rate risk using Binomial Logistic and Heckman two-step estimation method assuming that there are only two types of Adjustable-Rate Mortgage and Fixed-Rate Mortgage. As a result of the empirical analysis, low-income households annual income tend to have a higher proportion of housing debt as same as higher interest rate risk preferences households in proportion to income growth and interest rate risk preferences. Those results indicate that there is possibility of a hyperbolic discount on low-income households in Japan, and support the hypothesis that low-income households are relatively higher household debt ratio because of high utility due to home purchase in the near future (short-term).

• Korea Real Estate Review
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.79-94
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• 2018

This study analyzed the factors associated with residential mobility based on the data from the 11th to the 19th wave of the Korean Labor & Income Panel Study (KLIPS). After grouping low-income households within the first to the fourth income bracket into households that exhibited no income bracket change and those with income bracket changes during the research period, this study examined the effects of the income situation of each group on residential mobility. According to the results of the analysis, in the group of households that showed no low-income bracket change, significant effects were found only in the age of the head of the household, housing cost, and rental deposit (Jeonse) and monthly rental of the household. In the group of households that showed low-income bracket changes, findings were generally in line with those of the whole household, where total income and the number of full-time employees in the household were the same as those of the whole household, indicating that it would be necessary to improve the employment stability of low-income households. Based on the findings of this study, housing inequality is intensifying within low-income households, and, thus, housing policies, based on continuing surveys, must be implemented to enhance income opportunities and stabilize the housing needs of low-income households.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.165-172
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• 2018

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between life satisfaction of the elderly and their transfer income (public transfer and private transfer income) using the 11th data of the Korea welfare panel study. In the analysis results, the public transfer income was analyzed to have a significantly positive (+) effect on the life satisfaction in the case of the elderly in general households while in the case of the elderly in low income households, private transfer income was analyzed to have a significantly positive (+) effect on life satisfaction. These results suggest that the public transfer income is 1,019,200 won (monthly average 849,000 won) in the case of the elderly in general households, and the public transfer income is found to have an effect to stabilize the income, which can be expected to increase the life satisfaction. However, in the case of the elderly in low income households, it was found to be 5,080,500 won (monthly average 424,000 won), half of the public transfer income of the elderly in general households. In the case of the elderly of low income households, it can be assumed that the private transfer income, which is the "uncomfortable" income source, fills up the unstable income stabilization gap and raises the life satisfaction. As a policy suggestion, first, by supplementing the basic pension system, which is an irrational part of public transfer income for the elderly with low income, it is necessary to design policy alternatives to enable economic stabilization of the elderly in low income households. Second, it is also necessary to actively review the introduction of income deduction plans for the transfer income of family members for the low income elderly households.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.599-611
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of increased debt on the incidence of domestic violence over the two-year interval 2014-2016. To investigate Korean low-income households with economic hardships, we analyzed the 9th and the 11th waves of the Korea Welfare Panel Study, which is jointly sponsored by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and the Institute of Social welfare, Seoul National University. The study analysis was based on data from 2,786 households with less than 60% of median income. The main study findings are as follows. First, increases in economic hardships incur domestic violence for low-income households, while increases in low-interest debt decrease the incidence of the domestic violence when controlling for economic hardships. All other things being equal, economic hardship works as a stressor and low-interest debt works as an alleviator influencing domestic violence. Second, when low-income households are experiencing economic hardships, low-interest debt fails to work as an alleviator. Under this circumstance, high-interest debt actually acts as a stressor influencing domestic violence. Thus, we can speculate that use of debt under economic hardships will occur domestic violence for low-income households. This study differs from previous studies in that it examines the effect of increase in debt on the incidence of the domestic violence across different types of debt: low interest, high interest, and credit card. We can conclude that debt can function as a stressor or an alleviator for low-income households, depending on the interest rate and the households' financial situation.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.155-164
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• 2016

This study explored the characteristics, housing deficits and expectations for support programs of low-income renter households in housing poverty in order to provide housing policy development and improvement information. Microdata of the 2014 Korea Housing Survey was utilized as secondary data for this study. A total of 2,508,672 low-income renter households (weighted count) in the bottom 40% income ranks of entire general households living in private rental units were selected as study subjects. The major findings were as follows. (1) One point four percent of the subjects were living in non-house living quarters (e.g., shanties, vinyl greenhouses, container houses, and mud huts), 1.4% were in dosshouses, 9.9% were in basements, semi-basements or rooftop units, and 8.2% were in sub-standard units. (2) Among the households whose housing costs burdens were measurable, 75.7% were found to have housing cost burdens to pay 30% or more of their household income towards housing costs (rental costs and maintenance costs), but only 7.5% of the burdened households received a housing voucher. (3) Eighty-one percent were found to be in a housing poverty status as defined by the researcher; in addition, low-income renter households in housing poverty in Seoul tended to have a greater proportion of households headed by females, the elderly, and be persons with low-education or disabilities. (4) Households in housing poverty showed greater expectations for financial support and/or extended provisions of public rental housing than other low-income renter households.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.441-451
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• 2004

This study categorized the households into four by the comparison of wives' and husbands' earned income, such as one with higher wives' income than husbands' in dual-earner households, with higher wives' income than husbands' in household with unemployed husbands, with lower wives' income than husbands' in dual-earner households, and with lower wives' income than husbands' in household with unemployed wives. This study compared and analyzed the objective and subjective economic well-being, and overall satisfaction of life in those households. Major results are below. First, the amount of expenditures, saving, debt were low in one-earner household with employed husbands, but average propensity to expenditure was high in those households. The amount of saving was low in one-earner households with unemployed husbands, but the average propensity to expenditure and debt were high, resulting in the low status of economic well-being. The amount of saving and monetary assets were high, but average propensity to expenditure and debt were low in households in which wives had higher income than husbands, resulting in the high status of economic well-being. Second, husbands' satisfaction for the level of family income was not different among four groups of households. Wives's satisfaction for those was the lowest when wives' income was higher than husbands', but the highest in households with unemployed wives. Wives' and husbands' expectations for the future economic well-being of the households were negative in households with unemployed husbands. On the other hand, the level of satisfaction of wives and husbands for their life was not different among four groups of households. Finally, four groups of households were discriminated by age of husbands, number of children, debt, and wives' expectation for the future economic well-being.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.147-171
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine low-income households' financial problems and the demand for financial counseling. For these purposes, a survey of 500 low-income households was conducted by an on-line survey company. The results were as follows. First, four types of low-income households classified by income and job criteria were: the not-working poorest (16.2%), the working poor (27.0%), the not-working low-income (13.8%), and the working low-income (43.4%). Also, seven areas of financial problems were found through factor analysis. They included difficulty of survival, insufficient funds for special expenditures, defaults on financial obligation, decrease of income, increase of debts, emotional anguish, and difficulty in meeting living expenditures. 61.6% of respondents requested financial counseling, and 44.5% of them preferred internet counseling to counseling by phone or in-person, while 49.5% desired access to public counseling organizations. The five types of financial counseling content for low-income households that were found through factor analysis were financial planning, credit management, asset management/investment, public support, and use of credit cards. The low-income householders demanded financial planning counseling and pubic support counseling more than the other types of financial counseling. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the demand for financial counseling participation was significantly influenced by age and income. The demand for financial counseling content was age, income, and types of financial problems. Therefore, general financial counseling programs for low-income households should be expanded. Furthermore, those counseling programs can be useful if they not only include credit management but also financial planning, economic support information and savings.

• Journal of Consumption Culture
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.213-247
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to analyze the economic structures of low-income households, and to provide the policy suggestions for their economic well-being. The data for this study was from the 2009 year of the Korea Welfare Panel Survey (KOWEPS). The results are as follows: As for income structure, the low-income households had lower amounts in earned income, business and side-work income, and property income, but a higher amount in transfer income. They had a lower amount in private transfer income, but a higher amount in public transfer income. They had the highest rate of transfer income, showing that the rate of public transfer income was higher than that of private transfer income, and the government assistance was the highest rate in public transfer income. The households in extreme poverty had the lowest amounts in earned income, financial income, private transfer income, but the highest amount in public transfer income. The households in poverty had the lowest amount in transfer income. The households in extreme poverty, poverty and near poverty showed the highest rate in transfer income. As for asset structure, the low-income households had a lower amount in every type of assets. They showed the highest rate in total debt, and had a higher rate in housing asset, but lower rates in real-estate asset, financial asset and other asset. The households in extreme poverty had a lower amount in every type of assets than the households in near poverty. Three types of the low-income households showed the highest rate in housing asset, but the households in extreme poverty was the highest among them. As for expenditure structure, the low-income households had lower amounts in all of the expenditure items. They showed the highest rate in food expenditure, the second highest in other consumption expenditure. The households in extreme poverty showed lower amounts in almost all of the expenditure items than the households in near poverty, but the households in extreme poverty showed a higher amount in monthly rent than the households in neat poverty. Three types of the low-income households showed the highest rate in food expenditure. The expenditure rates of food, monthly rent and light·heat·water for households in extreme poverty were higher than those for the households in near poverty.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.23 no.2 s.74
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• pp.137-148
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• 2005

This study compared one-child households' economic structures between those who determined not to have more children and those who have a birth plan. This study examined the demographic characteristics and economic variables such as income, consumption expenditures, assets. debt, and a subjective evaluation of future economic status. Especially, it compared the effects of socioeconomic variables on expenditures on a child between low-fertility and birth-planned households. From a questionnaire completed by a husband or wife of one-child households, 154 low-fertility households and 201 birth-planned households were obtained. A t-test, chi-square test, multiple regression analysis and a dummy variable interaction technique were used. The findings of this study are as follows: First, low-fertility households were older, had higher income, and had more educated, employed wives. Their marital duration was longer, and their child was older than those of birth-planned households. Second, low-fertility households had higher consumption expenditures than did birth-planned households. Especially, expenditures of apparel and shoes, health care, education, and entertainment were significantly higher for low-fertility households. Also, low-fertility households spent more than did birth-planned households on a child. However, low-fertility households had significantly more debt than did their counterparts, and their expectation level of future economic status were lower than that of birth-planned households. Third, the effects of socioeconomic variables on expenditures on a child were different between low-fertility and birth-planned households. Age, education level, husband's occupation, wife's employment status, income, net asset, and subjective evaluation of future economic status showed significant differences. Income elasticity of expenditure on a child was significantly higher for low-fertility households than their counterparts.