Moderate and Neutral Voters Favor Change… Movement Among Ruling Party Supporters
In a hypothetical scenario regarding an early presidential election, public opinion indicates a greater desire for 'regime change' rather than 'regime maintenance.'
In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea from October 1 to 3, involving 1,001 adults aged 18 and older nationwide (confidence level 95%, margin of error ±3.1 percentage points), 37% of respondents said, "The ruling party candidate should win to maintain the regime," while 52% answered, "The opposition party candidate should win to change the regime." 11% reserved their opinions.
Compared to the previous survey (March 25-27), the response for 'regime maintenance' increased by 3 percentage points, while the response for 'regime change' decreased by 1 percentage point. Nevertheless, the overall trend still suggests that the desire for change prevails.
Gallup noted, "In our weekly surveys conducted this year, support for change has consistently been dominant, with the gap between the two options reaching at least 8 percentage points (third week of January) and up to 19 percentage points (fourth week of March)."
Among conservative respondents, 74% supported 'regime maintenance,' while 90% of progressive respondents chose 'regime change.' In the moderate group, the desire for change stood at 62%, overwhelmingly surpassing the maintenance response (28%). Among neutral voters lacking party affiliation, support for change (42%) greatly exceeded support for maintenance (21%).
Democratic Party at 41%, People Power Party at 35%… Approval Gap Narrowed Within Margin of Error
In a party approval rating survey, the Democratic Party recorded 41%, while the People Power Party secured 35%. The People Power Party increased by 2 percentage points compared to the last survey, while the Democratic Party showed no change. The gap between the two parties decreased from 8 percentage points last week to 6 percentage points this week, falling back within the margin of error.
Looking at the support rates by political inclination, 74% of conservatives supported the People Power Party, while 77% of progressives supported the Democratic Party. In the moderate group, the Democratic Party's approval rating was 45%, nearly double that of the People Power Party (23%). The proportion of neutral voters was 23%.
Additionally, the Justice Reform Party received 4%, the Reform Party 2%, and other parties and groups accounted for 1%.
Lee Jae-myung Takes First Place as Preferred Next Leader… Kim Moon-soo Rises to Second
In the preference survey for the next political leader, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, was the highest at 34%. Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo followed with 9%, while former leader of the People Power Party Han Dong-hoon (5%), Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo (4%), and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (2%) followed in order. Lee Jun-seok from the Reform Party, former Minister Cho Kuk from the Justice Reform Party, and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon each recorded 1%.
Among Democratic Party supporters, Lee had a significant preference rate of 73%. In the People Power Party, supporters favored Minister Kim (24%), former leader Han (12%), Mayor Hong (9%), and Mayor Oh (6%), while 43% did not choose a specific candidate. Among neutral voters, Lee (10%) had the highest preference, while 77% reserved their opinions.
By inclination, 68% of progressives chose Lee. Among conservatives, Minister Kim (20%) was the most favored, while Lee only reached 11%. In the moderate group, Lee had the highest preference at 38%, followed by Minister Kim (5%), former leader Han (4%), and Mayor Hong (3%).
This survey was conducted through telephone interviews using randomly selected mobile phone virtual numbers, and the response rate was 13.7%. For more detailed information, please refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
Image Source: Former President Yoon Seok-youl, Democratic Party Leader Lee Jae-myung / News1, Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo / News1, News1
