President Lee's Approval Rating Rises to 37.9%, But Disapproval Remains High at 60.1%

President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has increased for the second consecutive week, reaching 37.9%. However, disapproval ratings remain above 60%.

According to a survey conducted by Realmeter on behalf of Energy Economy News, the approval rating for President Lee rose by 3.1 percentage points from the previous week, based on responses from 1,508 eligible voters aged 18 and older surveyed from September 21 to 23. The disapproval rating decreased by 3.3 percentage points to 60.1%, which is 22.2 percentage points higher than the approval rating. The percentage of respondents who were unsure was 2.0%.

Approval ratings saw significant increases in Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk, rising by 13.7 percentage points, while Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong saw an increase of 6.9 percentage points, and Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam rose by 5.9 percentage points. By age group, approval ratings increased by 6.7 percentage points among those in their 50s and by 4.2 percentage points among those in their 40s. The centrist voter group also saw a rise of 4.2 percentage points.

Realmeter attributed the rise in approval ratings to President Lee's recent diplomatic engagements, including a press conference on September 18 and attendance at the United Nations General Assembly, as well as his commitment to personnel reforms. However, it is important to note that this survey concluded on September 23 and does not reflect the situation following his state visit to Mexico and his return.

In a separate survey conducted on September 22-23 among 1,005 voters regarding party support, the People Power Party was at 39.4%, while the Democratic Party was at 38.7%. The People Power Party saw an increase of 0.9 percentage points from the previous week, while the Democratic Party decreased by 1.5 percentage points. The gap between the two parties stands at 0.7 percentage points, which is within the margin of error.

Both surveys were conducted using a wireless automated response method. The approval rating survey has a margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 3.8%. The party support survey has a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points, with a response rate of 3.5%. More details can be found on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.