[AKYUNG Poll] "Do Not Support Moon" Response Rate Exceeds Half for the First Time

President Moon's 'Support' 46.2% vs 'Non-Support' 50.4%
Party Support: Democratic Party 30.7% · People Power Party 27.6%

President Moon Jae-in is answering reporters' questions at the New Year's press conference held at the Blue House Chunuchu-gwan on the 18th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] In a public opinion survey conducted by Asia Economy and Win-G Korea Consulting, the proportion of respondents who do not support President Moon Jae-in exceeded the majority for the first time. In party support, the support for the Democratic Party of Korea dropped significantly, narrowing the gap with the People Power Party to within the margin of error.

According to the survey conducted on the 16th and 17th targeting 1,009 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide (100% mobile phone virtual numbers, automated response), 46.2% responded that they politically support President Moon, while 50.4% responded that they do not support him.

Compared to the previous nationwide survey conducted in the fifth week of November last year, support decreased by 2.6 percentage points, and non-support increased by 3.1 percentage points. This is the first time in Asia Economy's public opinion surveys that the non-support rate has surpassed the support rate.

By age group, those in their 40s showed the highest support at 59.5%, and more than half of those in their 30s (53.8%) supported President Moon. In their 50s, support (48.9%) and non-support (49.9%) responses were nearly equal, and among those aged 18-29, support (45.0%) and non-support (42.6%) were within the margin of error. Support responses were well below average among those in their 60s (33.5%) and those aged 70 and above (30.1%).

By region, Gwangju and Jeolla showed the highest support with 66.9%. Gangwon and Jeju (58.0%) and Incheon and Gyeonggi (50.2%) also showed support from more than half of respondents. In Seoul (45.9%) and Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong (42.5%), support responses were below half, and support was relatively low in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (39.1%) as well as Daegu and Gyeongbuk (22.9%).

In party support, the Democratic Party recorded 30.7%, and the People Power Party 27.6%. Compared to the previous survey, the Democratic Party's support fell by 4.0 percentage points, while the People Power Party's support rose by 2.8 percentage points, narrowing the gap between the two parties to within the margin of error. Support for other parties was 7.6% for the People’s Party, 7.4% for the Open Democratic Party, and 6.2% for the Justice Party, in that order.

Especially in Seoul, considered a key battleground for the April by-elections this year, the Democratic Party recorded 30.0%, leading the People Power Party (22.5%) beyond the margin of error. Conversely, in the PK region where the Busan mayoral election is held, the People Power Party led with 33.4%, ahead of the Democratic Party (25.5%) beyond the margin of error.

This survey was conducted on voters aged 18 and over nationwide on the 16th and 17th. The overall response rate was 6.5%, with 1,009 respondents. The survey method was wireless ARS using 100% mobile phone virtual numbers. The sample was extracted with weighted values by gender, age, and region based on the resident registration population as of the end of December 2020 from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (cell weighting). The sampling error is ±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 Poll Deliberation Commission website.