President Lee Jae-myung delivers a commemorative address at the ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of National Liberation Day at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 15th. Yonhap News
President Lee Jae-myung’s job approval rating fell for a fifth straight week, setting another record low since he took office, as confusion over a real estate tax overhaul and a controversy over a ruling-party remark on youth housing weighed on public sentiment.
In a survey of 2,511 voters aged 18 and over conducted from the 10th to the 14th by Realmeter on behalf of Energy Economy Daily, 43.0% approved of Lee’s performance in office. That was down 0.3 percentage points from a week earlier, extending the decline to five consecutive weeks. It followed the previous week’s 43.3%, the first reading in the low 40% range, and marked a fresh low.
Disapproval rose 1.1 percentage points from the prior week to 54.1%. The gap between approval and disapproval widened to 11.1 percentage points, beyond the margin of error, while 2.9% were undecided.
By region, approval fell 2.6 percentage points in Incheon and Gyeonggi, and dropped 2.4 percentage points in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang and 1.9 percentage points in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong. By age, the decline was steepest among those in their 60s at 6.1 percentage points, while it also fell 2.9 percentage points among those in their 30s and 1.5 percentage points among those in their 40s.
By political leaning, approval among liberal respondents fell 4.6 percentage points to 59.1%, with disapproval at 38.7%. Approval among moderates also dropped 1.9 percentage points to 43.4%, with disapproval at 53.9%. Among conservatives, approval rose 4.8 percentage points to 22.4%, while disapproval stood at 76.2%.
Realmeter said recent policy confusion over the real estate tax overhaul and the controversy over Lee’s remark on “scrapped-bus youth housing” worsened sentiment on housing among young people and undermined confidence in government policy.
In party support, the ruling Democratic Party gained while the People Power Party fell, widening the gap between the two parties.
In a separate survey of 1,004 voters aged 18 and over conducted from the 13th to the 14th, support for the Democratic Party rose 3.3 percentage points from the prior week to 47.9%. The People Power Party fell 4.5 percentage points to 33.1%. The gap between the two parties was 14.8 percentage points, staying beyond the margin of error for a third straight week.
The Rebuilding Korea Party stood at 2.5%, the New Reform Party at 2.2% and the Progressive Party at 1.9%, while other parties drew 2.3% and unaffiliated voters 10.1%.
Democratic Party support rose 15.8 percentage points in Daegu and North Gyeongsang and 12.1 percentage points in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong. By contrast, it fell 10.8 percentage points in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang. By age, it rose 11.5 percentage points among those aged 70 and over and 9.8 percentage points among those in their 20s, but fell 2.5 percentage points among those in their 60s.
By political leaning, Democratic Party support among liberals rose 1.6 percentage points to 77.1%. Among moderates, it fell 5.9 percentage points to 41.3%.
Support for the People Power Party plunged 20.3 percentage points from the prior week in Daegu and North Gyeongsang, its core base. It also fell 6.1 percentage points in Incheon and Gyeonggi. By age, it dropped 7.9 percentage points among those in their 20s, 7.7 percentage points among those aged 70 and over and 5.8 percentage points among those in their 40s. Support among conservatives also fell 10.2 percentage points to 68.1%.
Realmeter attributed the rise in Democratic Party support to a convention bounce ahead of the party’s national convention, combined with a stronger rallying of party members and supporters. By contrast, it said the People Power Party had focused its criticism on the government’s confusion over the real estate tax overhaul but gained no clear benefit, and that deepening internal conflict weakened its support among both conservatives and its regional base.
Both surveys were conducted using an automated response system (ARS) with randomly generated numbers drawn entirely from mobile phones. The presidential job approval survey had a response rate of 4.0% and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The party support survey had a response rate of 3.5% and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Full details of the surveys and results are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.