Following the 2007 presidential election, experts have expressed the view that South Korean voters have returned to conservatism, but a recent survey found that people still have high a high regard for liberal values such as distribution, expansion of welfare and secure employment. The preference for liberal political parties, however, has sharply decreased since a similar survey was conducted in 2004.

The survey was conducted via telephone by Research Plus among 1,000 adults nationwide on December 26-27 at the request of The Hankyoreh. The polling agency then compared the results with those produced in May 2004.

When asked what a desirable model for the nation would be, approximately 67.2 percent of respondents said that it would be “a society well equipped with social welfare,” while 31.6 percent replied that it would be “a financially and materially rich society.”

Up to 76.3 percent thought that it would be desirable to impose legal controls on companies, while 21.4 percent thought the matter should be left to the companies themselves.

Economic growth was the key pledge of the leading candidates in the recent election, and will be the centerpiece of the new administration’s policy initiatives. When asked which should be the greater priority, economic growth or distribution of wealth, 54.7 percent replied that they wanted to see “growth for greater distribution,” while 38.8 percent preferred “distribution for stable growth.” Compared with the survey done in 2004, the number of people who favor distribution of wealth more than growth rose 9.8 percentage points.

When asked which political party could be expected to lead South Korean politics and society in the right direction in the future, 28.8 percent said the liberal party, while 29.7 percent answered the conservative party. Compared with 2004, support of the liberal party has fallen by 15.5 percentage points, but that of the conservative party has risen 16.4 percentage points. Support for the centrist party fell 17.2 percent from 19.7 percent.

“According to the survey, we must not jump to the conclusion that society is becoming conservative. Still, people’s expectations for progressive values are high,” said Lee Joon-han, a professor of political science at the University of Incheon who analyzed the survey. “Nevertheless, a sharp fall in the support ratings of the progressive party was the result of disappointment, because the party has failed to present suitable alternatives to meet people’s expectations,” Lee said.

The survey had a margin or error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Full survey results are available on The Hankyoreh’s Web site.

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