[AKyung Poll] Impact of 'Negative Image Competition'... Increased Party Support Among Undecided Voters

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Amid simultaneous declines in approval ratings for the Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party, the proportion of so-called "undecided voters" who either do not support any party or are unsure has increased. This appears to be related to the current presidential election turning into a "negative competition."

Support for the Democratic Party of Korea dropped by 1.9 percentage points from the previous survey to 34.7%. The People Power Party also fell by 1.0 percentage point to 39.9%. The gap stood at 5.2 percentage points, with the People Power Party leading within the margin of error. Other figures were 7.1% for undecided voters, 6.4% for the People’s Party, 5.1% for the Open Democratic Party, 4.9% for the Justice Party, and 2.0% for other parties.

Notably, the undecided voter group increased by 0.7 percentage points compared to the last survey, reaching 7.1%. The undecided voter rate had been decreasing as the election approached, with 13.7% in the second week of September, 7.9% in the fourth week of September, and 6.4% in the second week of October, but it has now shifted to a slight upward trend again.

Looking at gender and age, more men (7.0%) than women (5.5%) responded that they have no preferred party, with the highest rate among those in their 20s (ages 18?29) at 13.1%. Regarding support for the People Power Party by age, it was highest among those aged 18?29 (39.4%) and those 60 and older (52.9%). In contrast, the Democratic Party was preferred more by those in their 30s (40.1%), 40s (43.3%), and 50s (38.0%).

Regionally, the People Power Party led in Seoul (45.5%), Daejeon·Sejong·Chungcheong (41.0%), Daegu·Gyeongbuk (55.4%), Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam (49.9%), and Gangwon·Jeju (40.9%). The Democratic Party was ahead in Gyeonggi·Incheon (40.0%) and Gwangju·Jeonbuk·Jeonnam (52.8%).

This survey was conducted by Asia Economy through Win-G Korea Consulting from October 23 to 24, targeting voters aged 18 and older nationwide. A total of 1,024 people responded, with an overall response rate of 6.6%. The survey method was 100% mobile ARS using virtual phone numbers. The sample was extracted with weighted values by gender, age, and region based on the resident registration population as of the end of January 2021 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 Survey Deliberation Commission website.