Population

The population refers to "... the largest body of subjects being researched" (Labovitz & Hagedorn, 1981: 44), or in other words, to a "... specified aggregation of survey elements" (Babbie, 1990 : 72). As with the choice of the research method, the definition of the target population and its sample m ust be made clear. A clearly defined population makes the selection of a representative sample more probable.

The subjects u n der investigation in the current study are the elderly in Seoul, South Korea. A definition of the elderly population m ust take into account the context with which the research is concerned. Often, a person may begin to be classified as elderly when he or she has grandchildren, feels physical changes associated with ageing, or retires from income- earning activities. Obviously there are no existing blanket criteria with which to lum p a person over a specific age as "old". However, social gerontology deals with the status of the aged in a whole society, rather th an physical and psychological changes during the ageing process, so there are obviously a need and a way to adopt certain criteria to classify the elderly. The criteria adopted by most age concern research tends to hinge upon the passing of a certain physical age limit.

Riley (1992) notes th at today's social structure and norms are vestiges of the 19th century, when most people died before their work was finished or th eir last children had left home. Age 65 was established as the criterion for insurance eligibility in Germany back in the 1870s - yet age 65 is still used in many countries as the old. The older population is, of course, widely heterogeneous, but since this research survey is concerned with South Korea, it is necessary to understand the m eaning of being old in th at society.

Even though the official classification of old age starts from around 60 years old^, according to the survey results of Gallup Korea (1990), most of the Korean elderly perceived the old age period as starting from the time of fragile h ealth (44.1%), and from when all children are grown-up and m arried (20.4%). Therefore, their criteria for the old age can be set from levels of physical health and vigour, and the cycle of p aren tal/fam ily roles. In defining age limits for the onset of old age, 45 % considered that 60 years was the age after which you were old, 18.8 % considered it to be 65 years, and 18.3% thought it to be 70 years and over. Therefore, almost half of all respondents, perceived th at old age starts from the age of 60 or over. This result is in keeping with the traditional cultural context of the elderly in Korea, where the 60th birthday (the so-called "Whan-Gap")^ has an im p o rta n t m eaning, with fam ilies usually holding a big b irth d a y celebration. With this in mind, the current study adopts the age of 60 years as the criterion for defining the elderly.

This study also requires that research subjects must have lived in the same house for a minimum period of one year^, and have a right to vote in a general election. These stipulations are included to ensure th at the potential subjects are well acquainted with their house and environm ent, and are also registered as residents of Seoul, Korea.

^ There is no fixed definition of 'elderly' in Soutli Korean government policy, the criterion varies between 60 and 65 from one department and policy to another. However, this study explains the criterion of the government scheme of pro\'iding free or reduced fares on public transport for the elderly in Korea.

^ Whan-Gap is the celebration of a jjerson's 60th birtliday. According to the Chinese zodiac system, it takes 60 years for a man to finish a cycle on tliis earth. People mark their 60th birthday with a huge celebration, as the completion of tliis sixty-year cycle symbohses "rebirth". Similarly, in Japan people who reach the age of 60 are presented with a red chanchanko (paddled sleeveless kimono jacket for a baby) because tliey are supposed to become infants again. Other specially celebrated

birthdays are 70th, 77th, 88th, 90th, and 99tli.

^ The reasoning is based on several studies such as Lawton's (1980), who argues that the evaluation of respondents' housing would reflect tlieir familiarity with tliat housing, and Schorr (1970) reports that respondents who have recently moved into a slightly better house are more easily satisfied with whatever they have than tliose who have been living in tlie same place for a longer time period.

5 ,4 Sam pling

5.4.1 Sam pling Methods

Sampling, th at is, the deliberate selection of a few units or individuals representative of the population about which conclusions are made, is a long and well-established practice in social science research. The sample is required to be as representative as possible of the population from which it is drawn. In this way research results reflect not only upon the sample, but also can be generalised to the population as a whole.

Two form s of sam pling m ethods used in the social sciences can be distinguished:

N on-probability sampling, som etim es called purposive or judgm ental sampling, depends upon the researcher to judge which sample should be selected, choosing what seems typical, relevant or interesting. This type of sam pling m ethod is employed when a population cannot be specified p recisely (Miller, 1991), or w hen p ro b ab ility sam pling w ould be prohibitively expensive (Babbie, 1990). For example, in studies of certain special populations, such as illegal drug users, it would be impossible to put together a complete list of users needed to draw a probability sample. While the necessity of using a non-probability sample may be apparent in some cases, its use increases the u n certain ty of using th e sam ple d a ta to represent the whole population. Kalton (1983) summarises the source of concern:

"Non-probability sampling covers a variety of procedure, including the voluntary and the purposive choice of elem ents for the sam ple on the grounds th at they are 'representative' of the population. The weakness of all n on-probability sam pling is its subjectivity, which precludes the development of a theoretical framework for it" (ibid.: 7).

Probability sam pling, by contrast, elim inates, as far as possible, the judgem ent or bias of the researcher. This m ethod is sometimes called random sam pling because, at its m ost refined, each m em ber of the population is given an equal chance of selection. Simple random sampling m ethods draw a sample from a population, with members of th at population being selected one at a time, in dependently of one another, w ithout replacem ent so th at once a unit is selected it has no fu rth er chance of selection. Operationally, drawing a simple random sam ple requires a num bered list of the whole population, with the assum ption th a t each person or unit in the population appears only once (Moser & Kalton, 1979; Babbie, 1990; Henry, 1990; Miller, 1991). The advantage of simple random sampling is the ease of selection and the ease of use of the data. Once the sampling frame is assembled, no other information about the population is needed for sampling. The only disadvantage of this technique is th at it requires an explicit sampling frame, that is, ’a listing of the entire study population’ (Henry, 1990: 96).

In this study a probability sample has been adopted. Random selection is the key to this sampling method, with the selection of population units with a known and non-zero chance of inclusion in the sample. This m ethod was chosen so as to allow for the accurate description of the total population on the basis of the analysis of the sample data. In contrast, non-probability sam pling procedures do not provide rules and m ethods for inferring sample results to the population. Random sampling eliminates, as far as possible, subjective bias in the selection process, so th at accurate and precise statem ents can be made about the population on the basis of data collected for the chosen sample.

5.4.2 Sam pling Design

Sampling design is a plan to select the units to make up a sample. There are a num ber of options to choose from when designing a sample, these varying according to the specific objectives of each piece of research.

In simple random sampling, a sample frame is a prerequisite, th at is, a list of all units of the population (Henry, 1990). Since this study is based on Seoul Metropolitan City level, no suitable list is available of the population, which is constantly changing due to m igration, and deaths. However, ran d o m sam pling is not th e only way to in crease p recision an d rep resen tatio n . The m ore usual procedure to ensure rep resen tatio n w ithout excessive sample size is through stratification (Miller, 1991). This consists of breaking the population down into smaller groups, called strata, then a random sample is selected within each stratum . In this way, a random sam ple of a stratified sample ensures n o t an even chance of selection, but a known chance.

This study adopted the stratification sampling design firstly because of the impossibility of establishing a list of the whole population of over 60 year old in Seoul. And secondly this procedure is alm ost certain to be an im provem ent on a simple random sample because it makes sure th at each different stratum in the population (by gender, age group, neighbourhood, etc.) is correctly represented in the sample (Miller, 1991). 'Stratification is different from purposive sampling, for while both sampling m ethods apply hum an judgem ent, with stratification factors and the actual strata being fixed purposively, the selection of single population units is m ade at random ' (Moser & Kalton, 1979: 85). In this way the representativity of the sample is maintained.

In accordance with the stratified sampling design, the strata used in this study were decided according to geographical area. The prerequisite for ap p ly in g th is sam pling m ethod is th e ab ility to p recisely define geographical boundaries. If a particular house lies on a boundary, it must be clearly defined to which area, that house belongs. The clear definition of aerial boundaries can ensure that there is no risk of a unit appearing in m ore th an one sampling frame. To this end, the c u rren t study uses government administrative boundaries as the basis for sampling strata. The selection procedure of the strata is discussed below u n d er section 5.4.3,

Research Sites. Finally, within the selected strata, a random sampling method was used to select the population units for the survey, as detailed in section 5.4.4, Sample Size.

5.4.3 Research Sites

The Metropolitan City of Seoul in South Korea was selected as the research site because of the methodological and practical advantages it offers to the researcher. Firstly, Seoul is the capital city of South Korea, and in common with m any developing countries, this one u rb a n area dom inates the country, thereby attracting people from different ru ral areas. As a result, about one quarter of the total Korean population and more than one sixth of the over sixty age group resides in Seoul. The population concentration in Seoul allows for random sampling because in the city can be found all different socio-economic levels of the population, all different life styles, all different living conditions, and various types of urban issues (Lee & Noh, 1994). These are the elements that affect quality of life. As already m entioned, the possibility of using a random sam ple is an im p o rtan t strength of correlational design to make the research findings generally applicable to the population of concern.

Secondly, an im portant consideration in selecting the research site was the practical aspects associated with the fieldwork of the study, namely the researcher's familiarity with the city of Seoul. Familiarity is an essential com ponent of investigation. Ideally, ethnographic studies involve the research er living within, and experiencing, the cu ltu re th a t is being investigated. On a practical level, detailed local knowledge is crucial to this kind of research. This knowledge is an aid to overcoming barriers with participants. If they feel th at you are 'one of them ', then the process becomes m uch easier. Moreover, the level of implicit local knowledge in everyday conversation can be considerable, and would be lost upon the researcher unfam iliar with Seoul.

As seen in section 5.4.2 Sampling Design, the difficulties in establishing a full listing of the Seoul population led to the decision to utilise the stratified sampling m ethods in this study, using geographical areas as the basis for stratification. In considering the size of geographic areas suitable as stratum , Hoinville & Jowell (1987; 64 - 65) noted that "... wards are usually suitable; in urban districts it may be possible to cover a large area, possibly up to the size of a parliam entary constituency". In the Metropolitan City of Seoul, g eo graphical d ivision is by areas called K u , serving as ad m in istrativ e divisions. A Ku is a w ard which is larg e r th a n a parliam entary constituency, and within each of these prim ary strata are enclosed a num ber of secondary divisions called D ong. Dong is the smallest government administrative division of the city.

Most samples of population by geographic area are stratified according to spatial variables, providing the total target land area divided into m utually exclusive sub-areas with identifiable boundaries (Fowler, Jr., 1993). The criterion to determine the strata - Ku and Dong - adopted in this study was the average residential land value of a region. This criterio n was established on the assum ption that the spatial distribution of households varies according to income group. In the urb an land m arket, housing dem and is m ade effective by individual households, all maximising their own utility functions by trading off tran sp o rt costs against land costs or rent. "This kind of economic standard is the most widely adopted criterion for city or district urban analysis" (Cullen, 1984: 180).

In practice, techniques for spatial classification fall conveniently into a sim pler two-way classification based upon th eir overall strategies. The reason for th a t is if th at the society in question is classified by one significant division, for example between the rich and poor, th en the outcom es for each area can be easily com pared (ibid.: 32). It is this classification which this study adopted, since it is the one which highlights most sharply the situations of the elderly people in Seoul, Korea.

Hearing in mind the above considerations and decisions about the criteria and selection of the research sites, this study is confined to four areas (Dongs) of Seoul according to their average residential land value. The list of residential land value was obtained from KAP (Korean Appraisal Board), a governm ent funded organisation providing annual land prices of the whole nation. Residential land value map of Seoul is provided in Figure 5-1 at the end of this sub-section.

In selecting the research sites, the following procedure was followed:

1) Two Kus were selected from a total of 22 Kus in Seoul, one with the

highest residential land value and the other with the lowest. According to Table 5-1, Kangnam Ku marked the highest average land value, whilst Nowon Ku proved to be the lowest.

Table 5 -1 f l u e r a g e R e s i de n t ia l Land Ualue o f 22 Kus in Seoul in 199 2

(Uni t: 1 0 0 0 LUo n / s q . m l Ku V a lu e Ku V a lu e Chongno : 944.49 Map'o 793.08 Chung 1 1089.96 ____ Y angch'on 806.67 Yongsan 1 898.19 Kangso 496.55 Songdong 1 912 Kuro 728.33 Tongdaemun ! 818 Yongdungp'o 1086.33 C hungrang : 445.83 Tongjak 720 Songbuk 1 886.68 Kwanak 563.33 Tobong Nowon I 373.13 i 312.6 Soch'o Kangnam 1012 1322.2 ' U np'yong I 633.85 Songp'a 1102.31 Sodaemun I 759.47 Kangdong 822.78 Source: KAP, 1992.

II) Two Dongs were selected in each selected Ku using the same method of selection according to highest and lowest residential land value levels. Table 5-2 shows the average residential land values of 5 Dongs in Nowon Ku which appear to have the lowest residential land value out of the 22 Kus in Seoul. Table 5-3 reveals the average residential land values of the 15 Dongs in Kangnam Ku, which has the highest residential land value of Seoul's Kus.

Table 5 - 2 R u e r a g e r e s i d e n t i a l land u al ue o f Dongs in Noi uon Ku

(Unit: 1 0 0 0 U J o n / s q . m ) D ong ____ C V a lu e \Volg\e K o n g n e u n g ^ ^ l ^ Mag ye S a n g g y e | 720 907 785 660 Junggye 710 Source: IvAP, 1992.

Table 5 - 3 R u er a g e Re s ide nt ia l Land Ualue o f Dongs in K a n g na m Ku

(Unit: 1 0 0 0 D J o n / s q . m . ) D o n g I V a lu e D ong I V a lu e Yeoksam ! 2,190 Apkujeong 1 2,600 , " 1 , f J , n i |!' , ' , | T ,< ' ' ! ! < , 1 Samsung 1

_L

. 2 ,9 5 0 S c g o l c 1 . ■_{. . . . * . . . \ .}■ Kaepo L32Q___ Jagok 1,150 Chongdam 1,940 Y ulhyun i 1.200 Foi I 2,950 llwon 1 1,840 Daechi i 2 230. . . Suseo i 1,290 Shinsa 1 2,140 Dogok 1 1,990 N onhyun ; 2,705 i Source: KAP, 1992. 122

Ill) Finally the following Kus and Dongs were decided as the survey sites, and the location of the research sites were indicated in Figure 5-2 at the end of this section;

Table 5 -4 Selected Suruey Sites

h i g h e s t lo w e s t

Kangnam Ku i Nowon Ku

highest Dong Samsung 1 Dong ! Kongneung 1 Dong

lowest Dong Segok Dong : Sanggye 4 Dong

Source: drawn from tlie previous tables of 5-1, 5-2, 5-3.

Kangnam Ku is located in southern part of Seoul and has developed as a new town within the Metropolitan City, being only 20 years old. Until the early 1960's, the Han River had marked the southern border between the

In document Multi-dimensional view of quality of life amongst the elderly in Seoul, Korea (Page 115-128)