PPP Overtakes DP with 44.3% to 38% Support; President Lee's Approval Rating Falls for 4th Consecutive Week

A public opinion poll released today (June 15) showed that President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has declined for four consecutive weeks, dropping by 9 percentage points (p) in a month.

According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,515 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide from June 8 to 12, commissioned by Energy Economy Daily, the positive assessment of President Lee's state management fell by 3.7 percentage points from the previous week to 51.5 percent.

The approval rating has fallen for four consecutive weeks, dropping to the low 50 percent range, after recording 60.5 percent in the second week of May, 59.3 percent in the third week of May, 59.1 percent in the fourth week of May, and 55.2 percent in the first week of June.

Negative assessment rose by 3.2 percentage points from the previous week to 44.2 percent.

The proportion of respondents who answered 'don't know' was 4.3 percent.

Realmeter analyzed the cause of the decline, stating, "Amid the political turmoil spreading over the National Election Commission's poor management, including declarations on the state of affairs by university students following the shortage of ballots and ballot-counting errors in the June 3 local elections, the burden on public livelihoods has intensified due to economic headwinds such as the high exchange rate and high inflation."

By region, Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces showed the highest approval rating at 76.6 percent, but also experienced the largest drop, falling by 8.1 percentage points from the previous week.

Daejeon, the Chungcheong provinces, and Sejong (49.9%) fell below the majority mark with a 6.2 percentage point drop, while most other regions also saw declines, including Gyeonggi and Incheon (52.4%, down 3.5 percentage points) and Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province (47.0%, down 2.7 percentage points).

By age group, the rating fell by 5.9 percentage points among those in their 50s (64.6%) and by 5.0 percentage points among those in their 20s (36.8%), while dropping by 4.3 percentage points each among those in their 60s (52.3%) and 40s (63.7%).

By political ideology, the decline was largest among progressives (83.6%, down 5.1 percentage points), followed by moderates (52.4%, down 4.3 percentage points) and conservatives (20.5%, down 2.1 percentage points).

In a party support survey conducted on 1,002 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide from June 11 to 12, a reversal in party approval ratings occurred.

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) fell to the 30 percent range for the first time in 10 months since the second week of August last year (39.9%), recording 38.0 percent after declining for three consecutive weeks.

On the other hand, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) rose for three consecutive weeks to reach 44.3 percent, the highest since the inauguration of the current administration, leading the DP by 6.3 percentage points and securing a lead outside the margin of error.

Realmeter explained, "The People Power Party appears to have absorbed support from progressives, moderates, and young people in their 20s by leading a tough response to the poorly managed election issue, such as proposing a parliamentary investigation and a special counsel bill against the National Election Commission."

Indeed, the PPP's support rose by 6.8 percentage points among progressives (12.7%) and by 5.3 percentage points among moderates (40.6%), while surging by 9.3 percentage points from the previous survey to 59.1 percent among those in their 20s.

Regarding the DP, Realmeter assessed, "Amid debates over responsibility for the June 3 local election results and the poorly managed election controversy, internal factional conflicts have intensified, including leadership controversies and calls for the resignation of Representative Jung Chung-rae, leading to a notable departure of key supporters in the Gyeonggi-Incheon region, the Honam region, and among progressives."

The DP's support fell by 7.2 percentage points in Gyeonggi and Incheon (38.1%), by 6.1 percentage points in Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces (63.7%), and by 8.7 percentage points among progressives (68.9%) compared to the previous survey, showing a prominent decline among its core supporters.

The Rebuilding Korea Party recorded 3.7 percent support, the Reform Party 2.8 percent, and the Progressive Party 1.2 percent.

Both surveys were conducted via wireless automated response (ARS) system.

The margin of error for the presidential approval rating survey was plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 4.3 percent.

The party support survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 3.8 percent.

For more details, refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.