48% of Citizens Say "Democratic Party Should Field By-election Candidates"... However, Public Sentiment Leans Toward 'Government Judgment'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] In next year's by-elections for the Seoul and Busan mayoral offices, public opinion favoring 'the Democratic Party of Korea should field candidates' was found to be stronger than the opinion that 'they should not field candidates.' In the by-election public sentiment, the 'government judgment theory' was higher than the 'government support theory,' showing a difference from the results just before the last general election.

According to a public opinion survey conducted by Gallup Korea from the 21st to the 23rd among 1,000 adults aged 18 and over regarding the Democratic Party's nomination for the by-elections, it was revealed on the 24th that 48% believed 'the Democratic Party should field candidates,' while 40% thought 'they should not field candidates.' Thirteen percent withheld their opinion.

In particular, among Democratic Party supporters, 73% responded that 'candidates should be fielded,' whereas among supporters of the United Future Party, 80% said 'candidates should not be fielded,' showing a stark difference in opinions. Among the non-partisan and moderate groups, opinions were evenly split in the 40% range, and the same was true in Seoul, the region subject to the by-election.

However, in next year's by-elections, the 'government judgment theory,' which hopes for the election of opposition party candidates, was more prevalent than the 'government support theory,' which hopes for the ruling party's victory. The survey results showed that 37% responded that 'many ruling party candidates should be elected to support the current government,' while 49% said 'many opposition party candidates should be elected to check the current government.'

The 'government support theory' was relatively higher among Democratic Party supporters, the Gwangju and Jeolla regions (both 68%), progressives (64%), and those in their 40s (52%). The 'government judgment theory' led slightly in most respondent characteristics, including United Future Party supporters (95%) and conservatives (77%).

This is a markedly different result from just before the April parliamentary elections. Before the last general election, the government support theory was dominant among those in their 30s and 50s, and the moderate group showed similar levels of government support and judgment theories.

Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in's approval rating for his administration dropped by 1 percentage point from the previous week to 45%. The disapproval rate rose by 5 percentage points to 48%.

Party support was tallied as follows: Democratic Party of Korea 41%, United Future Party 23%, Justice Party 7%, People’s Party 3%, Open Democratic Party 2%.

This survey contacted 8,256 adults nationwide aged 18 and over, with a final 1,000 respondents completing the survey, recording a 12% response rate. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, refer to the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.