In a new survey by a global research film, Korea is seen as becoming worried about their current worsening economic situation.The survey was conducted by Pew Research Center in 24 countries and participated by 24,000 people which saw Korea trailing behind other countries in terms of their country’s economy.

92% of Koreans answered their current economic situation as bad, compared with the Lebanese and Japanese who got a percentage of 90 and 85 percent respectively. Also, 81% of Koreans said thy are not satisfied with the direction their country is going.

Experts say that it is due to the pressures of globalization and the recent controversy regarding U.S. beef that Koreans are getting pessimistic. “I think Korea is a front-line state facing pressures of globalization. The Korea Sandwich, where the economy is squeezed between China and Japan creates uncertainty about economic prospects that is very stressful.” Tim Condon, a chief economist at ING Financial Markets said. He also added that Korea’s pessimism can be attributed to other factors such as current political issues, among others.

In comparison, countries enjoying development or growth in their economy are happier and more optimistic. For example, 82% of Chinese said their national economic situation is as good as they are enjoying growth not available several years ago.

There’s also a little light at the end of the tunnel as 33% of Koreans are optimistic that their country will be better in the period of next year. It is against the 23 percent who thought otherwise.