Approval ratings for opposition sliding, even in their stronghold

Posted on : 2014-08-09 15:06 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The NPAD’s ineptitude and inability to capitalize on ruling party’s mistakes has voters increasingly disillusioned
 listening to a party member’s address
listening to a party member’s address

By Kim Kyung-uk, staff reporter

Approval ratings for the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) have fallen back down to the level of the Democratic United Party prior to its merger with Ahn Cheol-soo’s new party, a recent survey shows.

The poll also found approval dipping to around 30% in the traditional opposition stronghold of the Honam region (Gwangju and Jeolla Provinces), marking a low for the year. Analysts are blaming the slide on the opposition’s general disarray, with NPAD co-leaders Ahn and Kim Han-gil both resigning and a new “emergency committee” being formed under lawmaker Park Young-sun after a dismal showing in the July 30 by-elections.

The survey was conducted by the polling organization Gallup Korea between Aug. 5 and 7. The results, announced on Aug. 8, showed a 21% approval rating for the NPAD, down five percentage points from the week before.

It was the lowest rating found by Gallup Korea since the NPAD’s March launch, and a similar level to the Democratic United Party’s approval rating before the merger.

One of the poll’s most striking findings was a major drop in support in Honam, generally considered a key support base for the NPAD. Approval ratings for the NPAD in Honam hovered around 30%, down 12 percentage points from the 42% recorded a week before. Forty-three percent of respondents said they “didn’t support any party,” marking an eleven percentage point rise from last week.

Analysts attributed the sharp drop to the party’s poor by-election showing and disappointment with its lack of strategy.

“It looks like the party’s state of disarray right now had an effect, with Kim Han-gil and Ahn Cheol-soo resigning the day after the elections, [senior advisor] Sohn Hak-kyu announcing that he was leaving politics, and the new emergency committee being launched under Park Young-sun,” said Heo Jin-jae, director of research at Gallup Korea.

Some are predicting next week’s polling numbers could be even lower amid NPAD supporters’ frustration over a recent deal with the ruling Saenuri Party (NFP) on the special Sewol Law.

Meanwhile, support for the Saenuri Party, which routed the NPAD in the by-elections, rose to 45%, a three percentage point jump from the week before. Indeed, the soaring Saenuri approval ratings also helped propel a rise in support for President Park Geun-hye, which had been at an all-time low since her inauguration last year.

The poll found a 46% approval rating for Park, up six percentage points from the week before despite a growing controversy over violence in the military following revelations about the April beating death of a 28th Infantry Division private first class identified by the surname Yoon. It was the first time in two months that Park enjoyed more positive ratings than negative, with only 43% disapproving of her performance.

For the poll, researchers conducted interviews with randomly selected mobile phone users. The margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points, with a 95% confidence level and a 15% rate of response.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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