This study examined the effects of social relationships that adolescents have at school and in
the local community (classmate relationship, student-teacher relationship, and relationship with
others in the local community) on their altruistic life goal for the enlarged community (general
others, environment, and social inequality). To this end, this study drew on data from Korean
Children and Youth Panel Survey which were collected from 9th graders in 2012. By
controlling for parents-child relationships (parents’ affective support and parents’ instruction with
reasonable explanation), this study investigated the influence of social relationships at school
and in the local community in a more precise way. The result from multinomial logistic
regressions shows that adolescents who had a more amicable relationship with classmates, a
closer relationship with teachers, and a positive relationship with neighbors tended to show
stronger altruistic life goals with regard to general others, environment, and social inequality.
This finding identifies the possibility that positive social relationships at school and in the local
community contribute to the development of altruistic life goals for enlarged community.
Therefore, for adolescents to promote democratic citizenship, they should have opportunities to
enjoy positive, democratic, productive relationships with others in proximal contexts.