[Polpol News] President Lee's Approval Drops 2%p to 58%... 54% Support New Nuclear Plant Construction

Gallup Poll Results
Democratic Party Down 4 Points to 41%, People Power Party Drops 2 Points to 24%

President Lee Jaemyung's job approval rating and the approval rating for the Democratic Party of Korea both saw slight declines. Regarding the construction of new nuclear power plants, more than half of the public expressed support for building them.

According to a public opinion poll released by Gallup on January 16 (conducted via mobile phone interviews with 1,000 adults aged 18 and over nationwide from January 13 to 15, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 11.9%), 58% of respondents said President Lee is performing his duties well. This represents a 2 percentage point decrease compared to the same survey last week. However, the negative assessment-that he is not performing his duties well-also dropped by 1 percentage point to 32%.

Yonhap News Agency

Among those who gave a positive assessment (585 respondents), the main reasons cited were "diplomacy" (36%), "economy and people's livelihoods" (12%), and "communication" (10%). Among those who gave a negative assessment (316 respondents), the primary reason was "economy and people's livelihoods" (26%).

The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea fell by 4 percentage points from last week to 41%. The approval rating for the People Power Party also dropped by 2 percentage points to 24%. The Cho Kuk Innovation Party recorded 4%, the Reform New Party 2%, and the Progressive Party 1%.

This survey also included public opinion on the construction of new nuclear power plants: 54% supported construction, while 25% opposed it. Attitudes toward nuclear plant construction varied by gender and political orientation. Among men, 70% supported construction, whereas only 38% of women were in favor. By political orientation, 71% of conservatives supported construction, but support was lower among progressives and moderates, at 50%.

For more detailed information about the survey, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.