Abstract

The present research was conducted 1) to explore the change pattern of societal anxiety and 2) to examine the major anxiety-inducing issues in Korean society. In study 1, we surveyed 301 respondents about their perceptions of societal anxiety and anxiety-inducing issues at various times. In study 2, we analyzed newspaper articles that dealt with societal anxiety published between 1973 and the present. Data analysis shows that survey respondents recalled a gradual increase in societal anxiety but predicted a decrease in societal anxiety in the future. This change pattern of subjective experience of social anxiety was supported by newspaper analysis in Study 2. The number of articles about social anxiety induced increased from the past to present. We discussed some practical implications of the present findings