President Lee's approval rating has dropped for the ninth consecutive week, reaching a record low of 33.8% since taking office. The decline is particularly pronounced among young voters and progressives, with disapproval ratings surpassing 60% for the first time. In party support, the Democratic Party has seen a decrease while the People Power Party has gained ground, resulting in a shift in rankings within the margin of error.
According to a poll released on September 14 by Realmeter, President Lee's approval rating fell by 3.6 percentage points from the previous week to 33.8%. The survey, commissioned by the Energy Economy Newspaper, was conducted from September 7 to 11 among 2,515 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide.
Disapproval ratings rose by 3.8 percentage points to 63.3%, the highest since he took office. The gap between approval and disapproval stands at 29.5 percentage points, with 2.9% of respondents indicating they were unsure.
The decline in support was especially significant among young voters and progressives. Approval ratings among those in their 20s dropped by 10.2 percentage points compared to the previous week, while progressive voters saw an 8.0 percentage point decrease. Among voters in their 60s and 70s, approval ratings fell by 4.1 and 3.6 percentage points, respectively.
Regionally, the largest drop was in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam areas, which saw a decline of 9.1 percentage points. This was followed by Daegu and Gyeongbuk with a 6.8 percentage point drop, Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong with a 6.5 percentage point decrease, and Gwangju and Jeolla with a 5.5 percentage point decline. In Seoul, approval ratings increased by 1.5 percentage points.
Realmeter analyzed that the decline in support was influenced by controversies surrounding cabinet appointments, discussions about deploying troops to Hormuz, and uncertainties in real estate policies. Additionally, the weakening support among progressives and young voters contributed to this trend.
In a separate poll conducted on September 10-11 among 1,003 eligible voters aged 18 and older, the People Power Party's support rose by 4.5 percentage points to 42.1%, while the Democratic Party's support fell by 5.7 percentage points to 36.1%. The gap between the two parties is 6.0 percentage points, within the margin of error.
The changes in party support were particularly notable among voters in their 20s. The Democratic Party's support dropped by 18.8 percentage points, while the People Power Party's support increased by 21.2 percentage points. Support for the Democratic Party among progressives also fell by 10.0 percentage points.
Realmeter noted that the Democratic Party faced challenges from controversies over personnel and real estate policies, while the People Power Party benefited from these issues and gained support among young voters, as well as in Chungcheong and the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region.
Other parties included the Justice Reform Party at 4.7%, the Reform Party and the Progressive Party each at 1.3%, and other parties at 2.3%. The proportion of undecided voters was recorded at 12.2%.
Both surveys were conducted using 100% automated response (ARS) methods via mobile phone. The response rate for the presidential approval rating survey was 4.5%, with a margin of error of ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The party support survey had a response rate of 3.6% and a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Detailed information can be found on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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