[PollPoll News] President Lee's Approval Drops to Low 50%... Democratic Party and People Power Party Support Gap Narrows to Within Margin of Error

Democratic Party Support Drops Sharply, Gap With People Power Party Narrows
Realmeter Cites Special Pardon Controversy and Policy Direction as Key Factors
Approval Ratings Fall Across All Age Groups and Among Moderates

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has declined for the second consecutive week, dropping to the low 50% range. The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party has also fallen significantly, narrowing the gap with the People Power Party to within the margin of error.

According to a public opinion poll released by Realmeter on August 18 (commissioned by Energy Economy News, conducted from August 11 to 14 among 2,003 voters aged 18 and older nationwide, using a 100% wireless automated response method, with a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 5.2%), President Lee's job approval rating dropped by 5.4 percentage points from the previous week to 51.1%. This follows declines from 63.3% in the fifth week of July and 56.5% in the first week of August. The disapproval rating rose by 6.3 percentage points to 44.5%.

President Lee Jae Myung and First Lady Kim Hye Kyung are greeting after the completion of the "Light Appointment Letter" cube at the 21st Presidential National Appointment Ceremony "80 Years of Liberation, Building the Future with National Sovereignty" held at Gwanghwamun Square, Sejong-daero, Seoul on the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News

Realmeter analyzed, "The main factors behind the decline in approval ratings appear to be disappointment over the Liberation Day special pardon controversy, the stock transfer tax dispute, and the political burden stemming from the unprecedented simultaneous detention of the president and first lady in constitutional history. Additionally, policies centered on the Democratic Party's hardline supporters seem to have led to the defection of centrist voters."

Looking at the daily approval rating trends, the decline was more pronounced in the latter part of the week than at the beginning. While it stood at 54.3% on August 12, it fell to 48.3% by August 14. By age group, support dropped by 9.1 percentage points among those in their 20s (from 43.5% to 34.4%), by 7.0 percentage points among those in their 40s (from 70.0% to 63.0%), and by 6.8 percentage points among those in their 50s (from 66.0% to 59.2%). Among centrist voters, the approval rating decreased by 6.6 percentage points (from 58.8% to 52.2%).

Democratic Party vs. People Power Party: Approval Gap Narrows to Within Margin of Error

In a party support poll (commissioned by Energy Economy News, conducted from August 13 to 14 among 1,001 voters aged 18 and older nationwide, using a 100% wireless automated response method, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 4.7%), the Democratic Party's support fell by 8.5 percentage points from the previous week to 39.9%. The People Power Party's support rose by 6.4 percentage points to 36.7%. As a result, the gap between the two parties narrowed to 3.2 percentage points, bringing it within the margin of error. This is the first time in 12 weeks, since the fourth week of May, that the gap has narrowed this much.

Realmeter explained, "The Democratic Party's support has dropped into the 30% range for the first time in about seven months," adding, "Support has fallen sharply in regions traditionally strong for the Democratic Party." Regarding the People Power Party, Realmeter interpreted the rise as "the result of increased interest in the party convention, the opposition's offensive through criticism of special pardons, and backlash among conservatives over the investigation into Kim Keon Hee and the search and seizure of the People Power Party headquarters, all of which appear to have consolidated the conservative base and boosted the party's support."

In a Gallup poll released on August 15 (conducted from August 12 to 14 among 1,007 people aged 18 and older nationwide, using 100% wireless telephone interviews, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 13.4%), both President Lee and the Democratic Party also saw declines in support. In this survey, conducted after a three-week interval, President Lee's approval rating fell by 5 percentage points to 59%. The disapproval rating rose by 7 percentage points to 30%. Among the 303 respondents who disapproved of President Lee's job performance, the most common reason was the special pardon, cited by 22%. The Democratic Party's support also dropped by 5 percentage points to 41%, while the People Power Party's support stood at 31%.

For more detailed information regarding the public opinion polls, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

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