The First Self-Administered Survey in North Korea: A Glimpse of Self-Esteem of North Koreans Compared with Peers in 53 Other Countries

• Activity Number: 27
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Sunday, July 31, 2016 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
• Author(s): Elliott Chun* and Jacquelyn Pennings* and Asaph Young Chun* and Cindy Won* and Clara Kyung*
• Companies: ISR Center for Science Diplomacy and Elite Research and U.S. Census Bureau and ISR Center for Science Diplomacy and McGill University and ISR Foundation Center for Interdisciplinary Research
• Keywords: social statistics ; cross-cultural survey methodology ; Korea ; survey methodology ; self-esteem ; Rosenberg

Abstract

The purpose of the paper consolidating talks presented in an ASA panel is to discuss methods and findings from a self-administered survey conducted for the first time in Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, also known as North Korea) with its focus on assessing North Korean self-esteem and social characteristics. Findings of the North Korean survey are compared with self-esteem measured previously for 53 other countries. Authors, who have been involved in this rare survey design, data collection in North Korea and analysis, discuss challenges, methodological approaches and findings relevant and useful to understanding social fabric of North Korea. Authors are faculty and research associates affiliated with the PSI Institute for Data Science, Statistics and Interdisciplinary Research as well as academic institutions. The PSI faculty conducted a self-administered survey of students at a privately-funded international university, assessing their self-esteem based on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the most widely used self-esteem measure in social science research.