The Development of Gratitude in South Korean Youth

Guided by Ka？？t？？ba？？’s work on cultural values, the current study sought to examine the gratitude expressions, wishes, and spending preferences of South Korean children and adolescents. Participants included (N = 229) 7- to 14-year-olds (M = 10.79, SD = 2.19; 54% girls; 55.3% middle class) from Kimpo, and Seoul, South Korea. Regression analyses revealed that older Korean youth were less likely to express concrete gratitude than were younger Korean youth. In addition, older Korean youth were less likely to give their money to charity or the poor. With regard to wishes, Korean youth who wished for the well-being of others were more likely to also give their money away to others. This study contributed to the gratitude literature by considering how gratitude, wishes, and spending preferences may manifest themselves in an understudied group, young Koreans