Poll: 57% of S. Koreans want a “progressive/reformist-leaning administration”

Posted on : 2017-03-20 17:23 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Data show a decline in the number of self-identified conservatives and increase in voters who don’t support any party
What kind of administration do you want to come to power and most urgent tasks for politicians
What kind of administration do you want to come to power and most urgent tasks for politicians

With the presidential election 50 days away in May, survey results show an overwhelming percentage of South Koreans hoping to see a progressive/reformist administration take office - but also strongly held views on social unity as an urgent priority for politicians.

A growing number of voters were also found to have not yet made up their mind as conservatives continue to struggle to find their way in the wake of Park Geun-hye’s impeachment and Ban Ki-moon and Hwang Kyo-ahn announcing that they do not plan to run.

A Research Plus survey conducted on Mar. 17-18, commissioned by the Hankyoreh and the Hankyoreh Economy & Society Research Institute (HERI), showed 57.3% of respondents selecting a “progressive/reformist-leaning administration” when asked what sort of administration they hoped to see come into office in the upcoming election. The number was nearly double the 29.7% who selected a “conservative/stability-oriented administration.”

When asked to name the most urgent future tasks for politicians, 49.3% of respondents gave “social unity,” outnumbering the 41.3% who chose “clearing away longstanding vices.” The responses appeared to echo recent results showing the current front runner, former Minjoo Party leader Moon Jae-in, with a support rating of 27.7%, down 5.1 percentage points from a survey conducted before the impeachment ruling on Mar. 3-4, and South Chungcheong Gov. Ahn Hee-jung up 3.2 percentage points at 16.4%. The numbers suggest support for Moon, who has called for “an end to old vices,” have been adjusted as the impeachment has given way to an early election scenario, while Ahn, who has called for unity, has rebounded by picking up supporters of Hwang Kyo-ahn.

Along similar lines, just 12.7% of respondents said they were opposed to a joint government in the event that the Minjoo Party is elected. Among those supporting a joint government, 32% said the Liberty Korea Party should be included, 21.7% said it should be excluded, and 17.4% said both the Liberty Korea Party and Bareun Party should be excluded.

One notable difference since the impeachment ruling was announced was the 25.6% of respondents who said they did not support any candidate or gave answers of “I don’t know” or “no response.” The percentage was up around 5 percentage points from Hankyoreh surveys conducted in early February and March. The rate of withholding judgment was also at its highest since Dec. 2016, when Park’s impeachment vote passed the National Assembly. Responses withholding judgment were found chiefly among self-described conservatives and Liberty Korea Party supporters, as well as those who reported voting for Park Geun-hye when she ran in the 2012 election.

The struggles and diminished stature of conservatives was also evident in a decline in the percentage of self-identified conservatives to 21.4% (compared to 31.3% for progressives and 35.8% for moderates), and the 29.3% of respondents who said they did not support any party (compared to support rates of 40.7% for the Minjoo Party, 10.2% for the People’s Party, 9% for the Liberty Korea Party, 4.1% for the Justice Party, and 3.6% for the Bareun Party). Similarly, a mere 41.5% of those who said they voted for Park in the 2012 election said they identified as conservative.

“The collapse for conservatives was brought on not by progressive political forces, but by the external variable of the impeachment, and we’ll have to wait to see if it continues,” said Han Gwi-young, head of the HERI societal survey center.

“The actions of pro-Park forces and pro-Park voters will be key in determining whether the conservatives splinter or rally once again,” Han said.

Respondents also reacted negatively to attempts by some politicians to realign support with an anti-Moon stance. When asked about moderate and conservative alliances based on opposition to Moon, 48.9% of respondents said they viewed them negatively, outnumbering the 35.2% who viewed them positively. The message is that while voters want social unity and cooperative governance, they do not see artificial reshuffling of political allegiances as beneficial.

By Seok Jin-hwan, staff reporter

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

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