[AKYUNG Poll] Expectations for Social Distancing Easing, Moon Jae-in's Approval Rating Steady in the Low 40% Range

Positive-Negative Difference of 13.5%p
Notable Increase Among Ages 30-50

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] President Moon Jae-in's approval rating for his administration remains steady in the low 40% range.

On the 28th, Asia Economy commissioned Win-G Korea Consulting to conduct a public opinion survey from the 26th to 27th targeting 1,009 voters nationwide aged 18 and older (100% mobile phone virtual numbers, automated response). The results showed that 42.0% responded positively that President Moon is "doing well," an increase of 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous survey (conducted on the 12th-13th). During the same period, negative responses of "not doing well" rose by 0.4 percentage points from 55.1% to 55.5%. The difference between positive and negative responses was 13.5 percentage points, which is outside the margin of error. Those who answered "don't know" accounted for 2.5%.

By age group, the approval rating increase was most notable among those in their 30s to 50s. The 30s group showed the largest rise across all age groups with a 7.1 percentage point increase to 47.8%. The 40s and 50s groups also rose by 2.0 percentage points to 59.4% and 3.7 percentage points to 45.7%, respectively. This is attributed to growing expectations for a return to normal life as social distancing measures are relaxed starting July 1, allowing private gatherings of up to 6 people during the first two weeks (1st-14th) and up to 8 people thereafter. The first-dose COVID-19 vaccination rate nearing the first half-year target of 30% also contributes to strengthening the possibility of "herd immunity by November."

In particular, the 40s group, which recorded 54.2% and 57.4% in the previous two surveys, rose again this time, approaching the 60% range (59.4%). This suggests that approval ratings, which had declined after the April 7 by-elections, are returning to previous levels. Regionally, positive evaluations were dominant in Gwangju and Jeolla (64.9%) and Gangwon and Jeju (61.4%). Meanwhile, Seoul (34.2%), Gyeonggi and Incheon (43.8%), and Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (35.5%) saw decreases of 4.0, 1.3, and 2.7 percentage points respectively compared to the previous survey.

The overall response rate for this survey was 8.5%, with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed survey information, please refer to the Win-G Korea Consulting website or the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.

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