한국 청소년에게 공정성이란 무엇인가 - 능력주의 신념에 기반한 공정성 인식을 중심으로 -

In recent years, the concept of ‘fairness’ has emerged as one of the most powerful and dominant discourses in Korea. This study extends this discussion by aiming to understand how Korean youth perceive fairness and to explore the factors that influence their perceptions. To address the research problem, I conducted an online survey of 1,392 students from 10 secondary schools in the metropolitan area (Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon). The results are as follows. First, Youth tend to support fairness based on meritocracy—emphasizing entitlement or ability—rather than fairness based on need or equality. Second, perceptions of fairness based on meritocratic beliefs are influenced by gender, grade level, and parental education. Third, the more youth perceived the treatment of men in society as unfair, the more likely they are to support fairness based on meritocratic beliefs. Furthermore, the more youth attribute inequality in society to factors other than ability and effort, the more likely they are to support fairness based on meritocratic beliefs rather than on non-meritocratic beliefs. Fourth, the more youth perceive reality through a meritocratic lens, the more they support fairness based on meritocratic beliefs. Based on these findings, the study discusses the problems and limitations of meritocratic perceptions of fairness in society. It also suggests directions for improving school education.