Presidential Approval Rating Dips to 50%, Third Consecutive Decline

Presidential Job Approval Rating Falls for Third Consecutive Time to 50%

According to data released by polling firm NBS on August 27, 2026, the president's job approval rating stood at 50%, a 3 percentage point decrease from the previous survey on July 30. Conversely, disapproval ratings rose by 6 percentage points to 43% over the same period. The 6 percentage point increase in disapproval ratings exceeds the margin of error, indicating a significant shift.

Presidential Job Approval Rating Continues Downward Trend

The president's job approval rating has shown a continuous decline, dropping from 55% in the July 16 survey to 53% on July 30, and further to 50% on August 27. The cumulative change in approval ratings over the past two months has been a decrease of 5 percentage points. While approval ratings have fallen, disapproval ratings have followed a dynamic upward trajectory. Disapproval rose from 34% on July 16 to 37% on July 30, and surged to 43% in the latest survey, marking the third consecutive increase. The cumulative change in disapproval ratings over the past two months has been a rise of 9 percentage points.

The gap between approval and disapproval ratings narrowed from 21 percentage points on July 16 to 7 percentage points in the current survey. While a statistically significant difference remains, the gap between positive and negative sentiment has shrunk compared to the previous survey. Notably, the sharp 6 percentage point increase in disapproval ratings from 37% to 43% in just one month stands out as the key fluctuation in the president's job performance indicators.

Party Support Rate Gap and Trend

In the party support rate survey, the Democratic Party of Korea garnered 41% and the People Power Party received 20%, resulting in a 21 percentage point gap, which is outside the margin of error. The Democratic Party's support rate has shown a slight upward trend for three consecutive surveys, rising from 38% on July 16 to 40% on July 30, and reaching 41% in the current poll. The total increase over the last two surveys was 3 percentage points.

In contrast, the People Power Party's support rate has continued to decline. After recording 22% on July 16, it dropped to 21% on July 30 and further to 20% in the latest survey, marking three consecutive declines. The cumulative change in the People Power Party's support over the past two months was a decrease of 2 percentage points. As the Democratic Party exhibited a gradual upward trend, the People Power Party saw a slight decrease, widening the gap between the two parties from 16 percentage points on July 16 to 21 percentage points on August 27.

Changes in Indicators by Survey Period

Consolidating the data from the last three NBS surveys reveals a concurrent downward trend in presidential job approval ratings and the People Power Party's support. Presidential approval, which was 55% in mid-July, fell by 5 percentage points to 50%. Over the same period, the People Power Party's support decreased by 2 percentage points, from 22% to 20%. Conversely, presidential disapproval and the Democratic Party's support both rose. Presidential disapproval increased by 9 percentage points from 34% to 43%, while the Democratic Party's support grew by 3 percentage points from 38% to 41%.

Specifically, comparing the July 30 survey with the August 27 survey, the 6 percentage point rise in presidential job disapproval is the most prominent change in this poll. In terms of party support, both parties showed minimal changes within the margin of error compared to the previous survey, with the Democratic Party gaining 1 percentage point and the People Power Party losing 1 percentage point.

Survey Overview

Commissioned by: NBS
Polling Agency: NBS
Survey Dates: Not specified
Target Audience: 1,001 men and women nationwide aged 18 and over
Survey Method: Not specified
Response Rate: 15.4%
Margin of Error: ±3.1%p at a 95% confidence level
Weighting applied: 1,001 people after application

For more details, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission (nesdc.go.kr).