Presidential Approval Dips to 43.3%, Disapproval Rises to 53%

According to the results of Realmeter's first weekly poll for August, conducted from August 2nd to August 6th, 2026, presidential job performance received a 43.3% approval rating. This marks a 2.6 percentage point drop from the previous survey result of 45.9%, announced on August 3rd. During the same period, disapproval ratings rose by 2.5 percentage points from 50.5% to 53%, widening the gap between approval and disapproval.

Continuing Downward Trend in Presidential Job Performance Ratings

Presidential job approval ratings have shown a declining trend for three consecutive surveys, including the current one. The approval rating, which stood at 48.4% in the July 20th survey, fell to 45.9% on August 3rd, and further dropped to 43.3% in the latest poll. Compared to the July 20th survey, the cumulative change over the past three weeks amounts to a -5.1 percentage point decrease.

Disapproval ratings have been on a continuous upward trajectory, expanding over the past three surveys. From 48% in the July 20th survey, disapproval rose to 50.5% on August 3rd, surpassing the 50% mark, and has now climbed to 53% in the current poll. The total increase in disapproval over the last three weeks is 5 percentage points, mirroring the trend of declining approval ratings.

Current Party Support Rates and Gap

In party support polls, the Democratic Party of Korea garnered 44.6% of support, while the People Power Party received 37.6%. The support gap between the two major parties stands at 7 percentage points. The Democratic Party's support rate decreased by 0.5 percentage points from the previous survey (45.1%), and the People Power Party's support rate was adjusted down by 0.1 percentage points from the previous survey (37.7%).

Compared to the July 20th survey, the Democratic Party's support rate has increased by 1.5 percentage points, from 43.1% to 44.6%. Over the same period, the People Power Party's support rate has dropped by 2.4 percentage points, from 40% to 37.6%. Consequently, the support gap between the two parties, which was 3.1 percentage points three weeks ago, has widened to 7 percentage points in the current survey.

Support Trends for Minor Parties and Other Parties

Among minor parties, the Jo Guk Innovation Party and the New Reform Party each recorded 2.9% support. The Jo Guk Innovation Party saw a 0.9 percentage point increase from the previous survey (2%), and the New Reform Party rose by 0.5 percentage points from the previous survey (2.4%). The Progressive Party's support rate increased by 0.6 percentage points from 0.9% in the previous survey to 1.5%.

Compared to the July 20th survey, the Jo Guk Innovation Party's support decreased by 0.2 percentage points, from 3.1% to 2.9%. In contrast, the New Reform Party's support increased by 0.2 percentage points, from 2.7% to 2.9%, and the Progressive Party also saw a 0.2 percentage point rise in support, from 1.3% to 1.5%. The proportion of undecided voters, including those supporting other parties, is calculated through the overall composition of the current survey data.

Survey Details

Commissioned by: Realmeter
Survey conducted by: Realmeter
Survey dates: August 2nd - August 6th, 2026
Respondents: 2,514 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide
Methodology: Wireless RDD (Random Digit Dialing) automated response survey (ARS)
Response rate: 4.0%
Margin of error: ±2%p at a 95% confidence level
Weighting: Weighted by gender, age group, and region