By Park Si-soo
Members of low-income households are twice as likely to become addicted to the Internet as their wealthier counterparts, a state survey showed Thursday.
The survey also found that children of single-parent families were more susceptible to the habit than those from traditional families. Children of parents with different racial backgrounds also showed a higher likelihood of addiction, it found.
Eight ministries, including those of health, family, education and culture, jointly conducted the survey of 7,600 people aged between 9 and 39 late last year.
Nine percent of them, or 1,743, showed signs of addiction, it said. This marks a 0.5 percent decrease from a year earlier; but the number of addicted primary school students increased by 2.9 percent.
Of the addicted, 11.9 percent were from families whose monthly household income was between 1 to 2 million won ($900-1,800).
Those living on less than 1 million won a month accounted for 11.1 percent. The ratio decreased as monthly household income increased.
People from families living on 5 million won or more a month accounted for just 6.6 percent of the addicts. The figure slightly increased to 7 percent among those living on a monthly income between 3 and 4 million won.
By family type, 7.3 percent of children of single-parent families were addicted, compared to 3 percent among children from two-parent homes.
Nearly 40 percent of children in multiracial families were addicted to the Internet.
Among the addicted, 13.7 percent were elementary students, 12.2 percent middle school students, and 10 percent high school students. Those in their 20s and 30s accounted for only 8 percent and 4 percent, respectively.