71% of Voters Say "I Will Definitely Vote in This Local Election"... "Party Matters More Than Candidate"

Election Commission Conducts Survey Commissioned to Korean Gallup

On the first day of early voting for the 8th nationwide local elections on the 27th, citizens are casting their votes at the early voting station set up in Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport. Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A survey released on the 27th showed that more than 7 out of 10 voters said they would "definitely vote" in the June 1 local elections.

According to the results of a survey conducted by Gallup Korea on behalf of the National Election Commission from the 22nd to 23rd, targeting 1,505 voters nationwide aged 18 and older, the percentage of respondents who said they would "definitely vote" in this election was 71.5%, up 1.7 percentage points from the first survey conducted on the 9th to 10th (69.8%).

The largest changes compared to the previous survey were seen among those aged 70 and older (8.1 percentage points), 18?29 (4.5 percentage points), and those in their 50s (4.3 percentage points). Those in their 40s were the only age group to show a decrease in voting intention, dropping from 78.9% in the first survey to 71.8% in the second.

Interest in the local elections increased compared to the first survey but was somewhat lower than the local elections held four years ago. The percentage of respondents who said they were "interested" in this local election was 79.6%, up 1.7 percentage points from the first survey (77.9%).

However, compared to the second survey of the 7th local elections held four years ago (82.8%), it was 3.2 percentage points lower.

Already, 65.2% of voters responded that they had "decided on a candidate to vote for," and 40.0% said they would vote on the early voting day.

Regarding the question about "considerations when choosing a candidate," responses naming the individual decreased, while those considering the candidate’s affiliated party increased. In the 7th local elections, 33.7% prioritized "individual qualities, ability, and morality," but this dropped to 31.5% in this election. Conversely, those who chose the affiliated party increased from 23.6% in the 7th election to 29.1% in the 8th.

This survey was conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews, with a sampling error of ±2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The response rate was 14.2%. For more details, please refer to the National Election Commission website.