Internal attribution of poverty and social isolation among the Korean youth: the mediating effect of relative deprivation

This study investigated the relationship between young adults’ perception of poverty and social isolation, with a particular focus on the mediating role of relative deprivation. Drawing on survey data from 521 individuals aged 19 to 39 in South Korea, this study employed cross-sectional regression analysis using PROCESS Macro Model 4 and bootstrapping methods to test the significance of mediation effects. The findings indicate that subjective perceptions of poverty, defined as attributing poverty to personal failings such as lack of effort or misfortune, do not directly influence social isolation. However, these perceptions were indirectly associated with isolation through their relationship with relative deprivation, which was in turn positively associated with social isolation. These results suggest that youth isolation should not be addressed solely through individual efforts or motivation. Instead, policies and psychosocial interventions should target the cognitive and emotional mechanisms underlying poverty perceptions and relative deprivation. By highlighting the cross-sectional associations among multidimensional inequality perceptions, social comparison, and social isolation, this study underscores the need for youth welfare policies that incorporate the perceptual and structural dimensions of poverty.