[Polpol News] 8 out of 10 People Worry They Might Not Receive Medical Treatment

3-5 Days Gallup Regular Opinion Poll Results
"Let's Reconsider Medical School Quotas in 2026" 48%
President Yoon's Approval Rating Remains at 23% as Last Week

Public concern over the medical service gap triggered by the expansion of medical school quotas has grown. A survey found that 8 out of 10 people worry about not being able to receive medical treatment when they are sick. While there is still a strong consensus that the number of medical school admissions should be increased, nearly half of the respondents believed that the 2026 medical school quota and related matters should be postponed. President Yoon Seok-yeol's approval rating for his administration remained in the low 20% range.

This is the result of a regular public opinion poll conducted by Gallup Korea from the 3rd to the 5th, surveying 1,001 people aged 18 and over nationwide via mobile phone interviews. 79% of respondents said, "I am worried that I might not be able to receive medical treatment when I am sick due to this issue." This is 10 percentage points higher than the 69% recorded in the second week of March (12th to 14th). Additionally, 71% of respondents thought there was a possibility they might not receive treatment when they are sick.

However, the public still largely supports the expansion of medical school quotas. 56% of respondents said it was a "good thing," while 34% said it was a "bad thing." Compared to the survey conducted in the second week of June this year, support decreased by about 10%, and negative opinions increased by 9%.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Unlike the support for increasing medical school admissions, negative voices were strong regarding the subsequent backlash from the medical community and the medical service gap. Only 21% believed the government was responding well, while 64% thought the government was responding poorly. Compared to the second week of March, the percentage of those who thought the government was doing well dropped by 17 percentage points, while those who thought the government was doing poorly increased by 15 percentage points.

Regarding the proposal to reconsider the 2026 medical school quota, 48% agreed and 36% disagreed. Among those who supported the increase in medical school admissions, 56% also supported postponing the 2026 quota increase.

When asked whom they trusted more regarding the medical school quota increase, 38% of respondents chose the government, and 36% chose doctors.

President Yoon's approval rating was surveyed at 23%, the same as last week. However, negative evaluations increased by 1 percentage point to 67%. Both supporters and opponents of the president's job performance rallied around the medical school quota issue. Among the 231 respondents who expressed support, 8% cited the expansion of medical school quotas as their reason. Conversely, among the 670 respondents who evaluated negatively, 17% also cited the expansion of medical school quotas as their reason.

In terms of party support, the People Power Party and the Democratic Party each rose by 1 percentage point to 31% and 32%, respectively. The People's Innovation Party stood at 7%, and the non-affiliated group was 26%.

In the survey asking about the next presidential candidate, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's support rose by 4 percentage points from the previous survey (4th week of July) to 26%. People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon dropped by 5 percentage points to 14%.

For detailed survey results, please refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.