본 연구에서는 복지정책에 대한 사회구성원의 태도가 다면적이라는 선행연구에 따라 국민연금에 대한 태도를 다각적으로 분석하고 이러한 다각적인 태도와 관련을 미치는 변수를 사회적 위치이론, 정치적 성향이론, 개인의 심리적 특성의 변수를 포함하여 탐색하고자 하였다. 서울에 거주하는 20~65세 성인 1000명을 대상으로 분석한 결과 연령대별로 국민연금의 필요성에 대한 태도, 양가감정, 개혁에 대한 의견에 차이를 보여 연령대가 젊을수록 국민연금의 필요성에 대한 태도가 부정적이며, 양가감정의 수준이 높고, 가입자에게 유리한 방향의 개혁을 지지하는 것을 보여주었다. 국민연금의 필요성에 대한 태도에 영향을 미치는 변수로는 사회적 위치이론 변수와 심리적 특성변수가 유의미하게 나타났는데, 연령(전반적으로 정적관계), 소득(높을수록), 결혼상태(기혼), 공감성향(높을수록), 이타주의 성향(높을수록), 삶의 만족도(높을수록)가 국민연금의 필요성에 대한 긍정적인 태도와 관련이 있는 것으로 나타났다. 교육의 경우 대졸인 경우 대학원재학 이상인 경우보다 국민연금의 필요성에 대한 태도가 부정적인 것으로 나타났다. 국민연금에 대한 양가감정은 연령이 낮을수록, 여성인 경우, 기타와 비교할 때 자영업인 경우, 사회경제적 지위가 낮을수록, 이타주의 성향이 높을수록, 삶의 만족도가 낮을수록 높아지는 것으로 나타났다. 국민연금에 대한 개혁 의견 중 보험료율에 대한 의견은 20대와 비교할 때, 60대인 경우, 남성인 경우, 사회경제적 지위가 높은 경우, 삶의 만족도 수준이 높은 경우 가입자의 부담을 강화하자는 의견에 동의하는 경향을 보였고, 이타주의 성향이 강한 경우에는 가입자 부담을 완화하자는 의견에 동의하는 경향을 보였다. 이러한 결과는 국민연금에 대한 태도가 다면적이라는 선행연구를 지지하며 국민연금에 대한 태도와 관련을 보이는 변수로 개인의 심리적 특성이 중요할 수 있음을 시사한다.

Literature has suggested that the public’s attitudes toward social welfare policy are multifaceted. For example, people could support for the essential aspects such as objectives and necessity of welfare policy but at the same time, they could oppose the specific policy structures and enforcement methods. This research tried to examine the diverse attitudes toward National Pension System in Korea by exploring attitudes of necessity, ambivalent feelings and opinions toward pension reform. When examining the multifaceted attitudes toward National Pension System, this research included theoretical variables from Social Location and Political Predisposition theories in addition to individual psychological traits as possible factors that related to the attitudes toward National Pension System. The Social Location Theory explains that when individuals form attitudes toward specific social policy, they generally evaluate the policy based on their self-interests and the self-interests are closely related to individuals’ social location. For example, in general, social welfare policy could be supported by relatively lower income or lower socio-economic status individuals. Other social location variables include age, education, gender, marital status and occupation. The Political Predisposition Theory assets that when forming opinions or attitudes about social policy, people refer to their pre-existing political belief in order to decide the levels of support or opposition about the policy. In other word, individuals’ attitudes toward National Pension could be the results of the individuals’ predisposing political belief. In the current research, respondents’ self evaluation of political disposition was used as Political Predisposition variable. In addition to Social Location and Political Predisposition factors, this research explored possible relationship among individuals’ psychological traits and attitudes toward National Pension System. Empathy, altruistic behavior, and life satisfaction were included as psychological traits. The purpose of this research was to examine the multidimensional aspects of attitudes toward Korean National Pension and to explore related factors toward the attitudes. A survey with 1,000 residents from Seoul aged 20 to 65 was conducted to explore the attitudes toward National Pension System and related factors. It was found that age(positive), income(positive), marital status(married compared to others), education(higher than graduate education compared to college graduates), empathy(positive), altruistic behavior(positive), and life satisfaction(positive) are related to positive attitudes of necessity toward National Pension System. The ambivalent attitudes toward National Pension System was related to age(negative), gender(female compared to male), occupation(self employed compared to other), socio-economic status(negative), altruistic behavior(positive) and life satisfaction(negative). Among the opinions about pension reform, those who are in their 60s compared to those who are in their 20s, male, those who have higher levels of socio-economic status, those who have higher levels of life satisfaction tend to agree on strengthening participants’ burden and those who have exhibit higher levels of altruistic behavior tend to agree on weakening participants’ burden. The findings from this research support previous literature on the multifaceted nature in the attitudes toward National Pension System. The findings also suggest the significance of psychological traits in explaining these attitudes.