President Lee's Approval Rating Drops to 36.4%, Down 9.3% in a Month

President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has fallen to 36.4%, a decrease of 9.3 percentage points from the previous month, with negative evaluations surpassing 60%.
 
According to a survey conducted by Hankyoreh Research for Cookie News from September 5 to 7, which included 1,018 adults aged 18 and older, President Lee's positive evaluation stood at 36.4%, while negative evaluations reached 62.1%. Those who responded that they did not know accounted for 1.5%.
 
Compared to the previous survey conducted on August 30-31, the positive rating dropped from 37.3% by 0.9 percentage points, while the negative rating increased from 60.9% by 1.2 percentage points. In comparison to the survey from August 1-3, the positive rating fell from 45.7% by 9.3 percentage points, while the negative rating rose from 51.7% by 10.4 percentage points.
 
Across age groups, negative evaluations exceeded positive evaluations in all demographics. Notably, the negative evaluation among those in their 30s was the highest at 68.7%, while those aged 18 to 29 recorded a negative evaluation of 65.0%. Regionally, Seoul had the highest negative evaluation at 69.3%. In the Honam region, positive evaluations surpassed negative evaluations, with 64.7% positive and 35.3% negative.
 
When asked about the policy President Lee has performed best, 40.1% responded that there was none. Among specific policies, the livelihood economy received the highest rating at 19.2%. The policies deemed most poorly executed included the reduction of prosecutorial powers (23.4%) and real estate policies (21.8%).
 
In terms of party support, the Democratic Party received 40.9%, while the People Power Party garnered 21.1%, resulting in a gap of 19.8 percentage points between the two parties. Following them were the Justice Party at 4.3%, the Reform Party at 2.2%, and the Progressive Party at 1.3%. Those who reported having no party affiliation accounted for 23.1%. Compared to the previous survey, the Democratic Party increased by 1.9 percentage points, while the People Power Party decreased by 3.2 percentage points.
 
Regarding key issues, 59.1% of respondents evaluated the government's proposed budget for next year, which is set to increase by 12.8% to 821 trillion won, as having 'increased significantly.' Meanwhile, 33.5% responded that it 'has not increased significantly.'
 
Regarding the nomination of Kim Seung-won as Minister of Justice, 58.7% expressed concerns about his past claims of prosecutorial dismissal affecting his political neutrality, while 36.0% disagreed. For the nomination of Yong Hye-in as Minister of Gender Equality and Family, 60.1% deemed her 'unsuitable for the ministerial position.'
 
Public opinion on the deployment to the Hormuz Strait was closely divided within the margin of error. Opposition to sending maritime patrol aircraft, logistical support ships, and bomb disposal units stood at 47.1%, while 43.0% supported the deployment. Support was slightly higher among men (51.6%), while women showed a slight majority against it (51.7%). Among those aged 18 to 29, support reached 51.6%, surpassing half.
 
This survey was conducted using a random digit dialing (RDD) method, with 3.1% of responses collected via landline interviews and 96.9% through automated mobile response systems (ARS). The response rate was 2.5%, and the margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.