Influence of social capital on happiness of multicultural family: A cross-sectional study using the 2019 Korea community health survey

Abstract

This study aims to identify factors related to the impact of social capital on happiness among multicultural families using the 2019 Community Health Survey, which represents the South Korean population. The study utilized data from the 2019 Korea Community Health Survey, and the study participants, aged 20 years or older, included 3524 members of multicultural families from a total of 229,099 adult households. The study found a significant difference in happiness scores across different age groups (t = 57.00, p < 0.01). Based on the median value of happiness, significant relationships were found with the independent variables: Physical Environment of Trust (t = −5.13, p < 0.001), Social Networks (t = −5.51, p < 0.001), and Social Participation (t = −5.47, p < 0.001). Happiness was found to have a positive correlation with the Physical Environment of Trust (r = 0.12, p < .001), Social Participation (r = 0.11, p < 0.001), and Social Network (r = 0.13, p ≤ 0.001). In contrast, Age (r = −0.13, p ≤ 0.001) and Stress (r = −0.14, p ≤ 0.001) showed negative correlations with happiness (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). The analysis identified a positive community physical environment (t = 3.85, p < 0.01), increased social networks (t = 4.27, p < 0.01), and higher social participation (t = 6.88, p < 0.01) as significant predictors of happiness. This model suggests that the explanation power is 15%, which is statistically significant (R² = 0.15, F = 57.72, p < 0.001). This study highlights the influence of social capital on the happiness of multicultural families living in Korea. Given the increasing number of multicultural families in the country, strategic interventions aimed at enhancing social networks and participation are necessary to promote their happiness.