Investigation for How Koreans Construct the Concept of Dying Well

Abstract

The subject of dying well has attracted much attention, but to date there have been few papers that have
examined what this actually means and what components must be present to qualify as dying well. The present
study investigates how Koreans envision dying well, how this is affected by demographic factors, and how
their ideas correlate with factors related to quality of life. A total of 1,000 survey participants were recruited
nationwide by means of a stratified random sampling method for each region, gender, and age group. Based
on previous studies conducted on the perception of dying well or a “good death,” we came up with six main
themes of that we further classified into 20 subthemes. We constructed a dying well assessment tool using
a total of 57 items and used these to conduct a survey through Gallup Korea. The items covered matters
such as death preparation, religious and spiritual factors, physical symptoms, medical treatment, social
relationships, and death environment. The quality-of-life (QOL) index and the perception of dying well were
highly correlated regardless of the theme, with a high QOL generally correlated with a high score for dying
well. For Koreans, the general perception of dying well is most strongly associated with death preparation,
such as the making provisions for the costs associated with dying and making funeral arrangements. The
next-most important component is the acceptance of death and psychological dignity such as spirituality.
From a demographic point of view, individual health and stress conditions had some significant correlations
with subthemes of dying well. Other factors did not show significant correlation. Surprisingly, it was found
that age did not change Koreans’ perceptions of what it means to die well. Discussions about death and dying
well are increasingly relevant in aging populations, but it does not appear in various forms at the individual
level in reality. Future studies will need to develop measurement tools around more sensitive issues of death
or investigate the developmental aspects of thinking through longitudinal research.