More than Half of Gyeongnam Residents Approve Governor Park Wansu's Performance

57.6% Satisfaction with the 8th Elected Term, Steadily Rising Since Inauguration

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] According to a survey conducted by Gyeongsangnam-do from October 21 to 23 among 1,000 men and women aged 18 and over in the province, more than half of the residents responded that Governor Park Wan-su’s administration is ‘doing well’.

On the 4th, Gyeongsangnam-do announced that it conducted a telephone interview survey to understand residents’ evaluations and perceptions of Governor Park Wan-su’s administration during the 8th local government term.

The questions were divided into ▲ interest in provincial administration and evaluation of its operation ▲ perception of the local economic situation such as price levels and economic/business outlook ▲ and current administrative issues including policy promotion and regional population outflow.

According to the 3rd regular public opinion survey on Gyeongsangnam-do’s administrative issues in 2022, 56.3% of residents said they were interested in the provincial administration.

Among them, those in their 50s showed the highest interest at 68.3%, while those under 30 showed a somewhat lower interest at 27.0%.

The positive evaluation of Governor Park Wan-su’s overall administration during the 8th local government term was 57.6%, showing a steady increase from 49.7% in the first survey in June and 53.4% in the second survey in August.

Those aged 60 and over showed the highest satisfaction at 67.7%, followed by under 30 at 60.6%, those in their 50s at 54.0%, and those in their 30s at 52.8%, while those in their 40s were relatively low at 44.8%.

More than half of the respondents, 58.6%, answered ‘yes’ when asked whether Gyeongsangnam-do is effectively implementing policies for its residents.

Among them, 69.8% were aged 60 and over, 61.1% under 30, 56.6% in their 50s, 47.6% in their 30s, and 47.0% in their 40s. Additionally, 48.1% of residents felt that their opinions were reflected in the provincial administration.

Regarding satisfaction with the overall living conditions in Gyeongsangnam-do, 65.2% of all respondents said they were ‘somewhat satisfied’.

The province reported that residents are currently struggling to manage household expenses due to rising prices in Gyeongsangnam-do.

In the telephone survey, 27.0% of respondents said the local price level was very burdensome, and 59.3% said it was somewhat burdensome, indicating that 86.3% felt pressure and difficulty due to price increases.

The greatest burden was expressed in purchasing essential food items and non-alcoholic beverages, while housing, water, electricity, and fuel costs were also concerns for residents.

Fifty-seven percent of residents predicted that the economy and business conditions in Gyeongsangnam-do would worsen in the fourth quarter of this year.

Those who answered that conditions would remain similar accounted for 27.7%, and those who expected improvement were 11.5%.

A provincial official explained, “It is interpreted that residents perceive the current economic situation in the province as likely to continue for some time rather than being temporary.”

The main media channels through which residents recognize provincial policies were TV at 39.8%, internet portals and social networking services (SNS) at 25.3%, and newspapers at 10.6%.

By age group, 33.9% of those in their 50s and 60.9% of those aged 60 and over cited TV as their main source, while 41.1% under 30, 38.9% in their 30s, and 34.5% in their 40s selected SNS as their primary media.

Regarding solutions to the regional population outflow problem, 40.7% of respondents prioritized ‘securing quality jobs,’ followed by ‘creating an environment conducive to marriage and child-rearing’ and ‘local government’s willingness to revitalize youth policies.’

The province plans to continue collecting residents’ opinions through public opinion surveys and reflect them in provincial policies while strengthening accountability in administration.

Ha Jongmok, Director of Planning and Coordination, said, “Through the survey, we were able to reaffirm that residents have great interest and expectations for the 8th local government administration. We will listen to various opinions to lower the prices residents feel and revitalize the local economy, and implement diverse price stabilization and economic stimulus measures that residents can feel.”

He also emphasized, “Revitalizing the local economy and creating quality jobs are possible through corporate investment. The 8th Gyeongsangnam-do administration will do its best to make Gyeongsangnam-do a business-friendly and investment-friendly place where companies can demonstrate competitiveness and leap forward.”

The margin of error for this survey is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Detailed information can be found on the Gyeongsangnam-do website under the public information section in the provincial administration public opinion survey bulletin board.