Have Korean Youth Really Become Conservative?..."Reasons Why It's a Premature Judgment"

"Youth Ideological Tendencies Similar to Overall Societal Ideological Changes at the Time"
"Conservatism Among Some Generations of Voters Under 34"
"Overall Assessment of Youth Conservatism Is Premature"

Hongdae Street in Mapo-gu, Seoul is bustling with young people. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A study has found that it is premature to conclude that the younger generation has generally become more conservative. Their ideological tendencies are analyzed to fluctuate according to the overall social issues at the time.

On the 24th, according to Yonhap News, Professor Han Jung-hoon of the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Seoul National University analyzed the relationship between age, generation, election timing, and political orientation based on survey data from three presidential elections held since 2012.

As a result, when comparing voters' self-assessed ideological tendencies during the 19th presidential election in 2017 with those in the 18th presidential election in 2012, a clear strengthening of progressive tendencies was observed across all age groups under 65. This was analyzed as a result of events such as the Candlelight Protests and the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.

On the other hand, when comparing the 19th presidential election with the 20th presidential election held this year, progressive tendencies slightly decreased among those aged 39 and under. Some have interpreted this as the younger generation becoming more conservative, citing the fact that the youth, who had previously shown progressive tendencies, exhibited a different pattern.

In response, Professor Han pointed out that the overall societal trend of returning to the ideological average after the strengthened progressive tendencies in 2017 was narrowly defined as youth conservatism. He stated, "Considering the changes in the overall societal ideological tendencies observed during the three presidential election periods, it is difficult to conclude that the youth specifically followed a consistent path of conservatism." He explained that the ideological tendencies of the youth showed similar trends to the overall societal ideological changes at the time.

In fact, when comparing changes by age group, only those born between 1988 and 1992 (aged 30?34) consistently strengthened conservative tendencies over the past decade.

Furthermore, even among youth aged 34 and under, differences in tendencies appeared depending on policies. Regarding North Korea policy, those aged 30?34 preferred a hardline approach in the 18th presidential election, shifted to a conciliatory approach in the 19th election, and returned to a hardline stance this year. However, those born between 1993 and 1997 (aged 25?29) consistently supported a hardline North Korea policy in both the 19th and 20th presidential elections.

Looking at economic policies, those aged 30?34 preferred welfare-first policies in both the 18th and 19th presidential elections but supported growth-first policies in this year's election. Those aged 25?29 showed the same pattern in the 19th and 20th elections. However, those born after 1998 (aged 24 and under) were the only youth group to prefer welfare-first policies in this year's election.

Regarding this, Professor Han said, "While it is valid to assess that conservatism is emerging in some generations among voters aged 34 and under, it is premature to conclude that the entire youth generation is becoming more conservative."

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