This study aimed to explore the drinking culture in Korea by sex, age, household type, occupation, and income level to identify demographic groups with prominent drinking behaviors and factors affecting their drinking. Furthermore, we evaluated recent changes, including those due to COVID-19, in drinking behavior, using data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study from 2010 to 2020. Panel analysis was performed to reveal the effects of material deprivation, depression, and sociodemographic factors on drinking behavior. We used the AUDIT 3 scale including frequency of drinking, average amount of drinking, and frequency of excessive drinking. The two characteristics of Korean drinking are consistent with the claim of the ecological system theory that humans, as social beings, drink to facilitate social communication or promote problematic drinking when social communication is difficult. Drinking among Koreans is characterized by a pattern that alternates between social drinking and problem drinking. Our study recognizes drinking as a social problem that should be managed at social as well as national levels.
【저자키워드】 Ecological system theory, alcohol and culture, social drinking, problematic drinking, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Depression, Sex, Characteristics, Culture, humans, age, Korean, Frequency, Deprivation, changes, Drinking, Factor, average, Welfare, National, Effect, Sociodemographic factor, Panel analysis, identify, evaluated, was performed, facilitate, characterized, recognize, promote, affecting, ecological, demographic group, Panel, 【제목키워드】 Korean, Drinking, Factor,