[PollPollNews] President Lee's Approval Rating Drops for 8 Straight Weeks to 37.4%

Realmeter Poll Results

Declining Support in Seoul and Among Moderates

A poll has revealed that President Lee Jaemyung's approval rating for state affairs has declined for eight consecutive weeks, hitting a record low. In a separate survey, more than half of respondents said the current administration is mismanaging its economic policy.

According to a public opinion survey released by pollster Realmeter on September 7 (commissioned by Energy Economy News, conducted from August 31 to September 4, 2026, targeting 2,510 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, using 100% wireless telephone automated response, with a margin of error of ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 4.2%), President Lee's positive approval rating for state affairs recorded 37.4%, down 1.5 percentage points from the previous week. The negative assessment of his performance rose by 0.8 percentage points to 59.5%.

President Lee Jae-myung and his wife, who are on a state visit to France, are greeting the send-off crowd on the Air Force One at Seongnam Seoul Airport on the 6th. Photo by Yonhap News

By region, approval in Seoul dropped by 6.0 percentage points (from 35.0% to 29.0%). Among those in their 30s (from 34.7% to 29.8%) and those in their 60s (from 44.4% to 39.5%), approval ratings also fell by 4.9 percentage points each. Support among moderates declined by 5.5 percentage points (from 41.4% to 35.9%).

Realmeter stated, "The decline in approval appears to be driven by multiple factors: controversy over preferential treatment and indictment withdrawal allegations related to the second reshuffle candidates, the reversal on the real estate tax reform plan, and the impact of remarks made by former leader Cho Kuk of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party regarding the president’s legal risks. These combined to spread negative public opinion about the credibility of government appointments and policies, resulting in the downward trend in approval ratings."

According to a party support survey (commissioned by Energy Economy News, conducted September 3-4, 2026, targeting 1,001 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, using 100% wireless telephone automated response, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 3.8%), support for the Democratic Party of Korea fell by 1.3 percentage points to 41.8%. The People Power Party stood at 37.6%, down 0.1 percentage points. The Cho Kuk Innovation Party recorded 4.5%, the Reform Party 2.3%, and the Progressive Party 1.3% respectively.

In a separate public opinion poll regarding economic policy (commissioned by The Today, conducted on September 3, 2026, targeting 508 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, using 100% wireless telephone automated response, with a margin of error of ±4.3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 4.0%), 61.1% of respondents gave negative ratings to the government's economic policy (44.6% "very poor" and 16.5% "somewhat poor"). Positive responses were at 36.0% (17.2% "very good" and 18.8% "somewhat good").

For more detailed information on the surveys, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.