Lee Jae-myung's approval rating falls for ninth straight week, dipping into the low 30% range
A poll released on the 14th showed that positive assessments of President Lee Jae-myung's job performance fell for the ninth consecutive week, remaining in the low 30% range (33.8%). Where and by how much did the ratings drop, and has the ranking of the two major parties' support rates changed as well?
According to a survey released on the 14th by Realmeter, commissioned by Energy Economic News, the president's job approval rating came in at 33.8%, down 3.6 percentage points from the previous week. In the same survey, negative assessments rose 3.8 percentage points to 63.3%. The survey was conducted from July 7 to 11 on 2,515 men and women aged 18 or older nationwide via wireless telephone ARS automated response. The margin of error is ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 4.5%.
By region, the president's support fell 9.1 percentage points in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang (36.4% to 27.3%), 6.8 points in Daegu and North Gyeongsang (29.4% to 22.6%), and 6.5 points in Daejeon, Sejong and the Chungcheong region (35.7% to 29.2%). By age and ideology, support among people in their 20s fell 10.2 percentage points (28.8% to 18.6%), the steepest drop. Support among progressives fell 8.0 points (57.3% to 49.3%), while support among conservatives dropped 5.5 points (19.2% to 13.7%).
Realmeter attributed the decline to the spread of negative public opinion on key policy issues. "Despite the president's recent diplomatic travels for summit meetings, negative sentiment appears to have spread over controversies surrounding cabinet nominations, deliberations on deploying troops to the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty in real estate policy, compounded by defections among progressives and young people in their 20s, leading to the drop in approval," the firm said.
The ranking of party support has changed. In a survey for the same client of 1,003 men and women aged 18 or older nationwide conducted July 10–11, the People Power Party topped the list at 42.1%, up 4.5 percentage points. The Democratic Party, which had been first until last week, fell to second at 36.1%, down 5.7 percentage points. The gap between the two parties stands at 6.0 percentage points, within the margin of error. The Rebuilding Korea Party recorded 4.7%, the Progressive Party 1.3%, and the Reform Party 1.3%. Detailed information about the poll can be found on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
