Economic outlook tracks party affiliation: 51% of Democratic supporters optimistic, 64% of PPP backers pessimistic

About four in 10 South Koreans hold a pessimistic view of the country's economic outlook over the next year, though expectations vary sharply depending on which political party a respondent supports.

According to a Gallup Korea survey released Friday, conducted Aug. 18–20 among 1,004 adults aged 18 and older nationwide, 32 percent of respondents said they expect the economy to improve over the next year, while 36 percent said it would worsen — a gap of 4 percentage points. Another 27 percent said conditions would remain similar, and 5 percent said they did not know or declined to answer.

Broken down by party affiliation, supporters of the Democratic Party of Korea were the most optimistic, with 51 percent expecting improvement. Among Democratic supporters, 14 percent said the economy would worsen and 30 percent said it would stay the same.

People Power Party supporters painted a starkly different picture. Only 11 percent of PPP backers expected improvement, while 64 percent said the economy would worsen — far outpacing the 21 percent who said conditions would remain similar.

Regional differences followed a similar pattern. Optimism was highest in the Gwangju and Jeolla region at 53 percent, while Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province recorded the lowest at 16 percent. In Daegu and North Gyeongsang, 63 percent of respondents said the economy would worsen, far exceeding the share who held an optimistic view.

By age group, those in their 40s were the most optimistic at 44 percent, while the 18–29 age group was the least at 16 percent. Among other age groups, 39 percent of those in their 50s, 34 percent of those in their 60s, and 28 percent of those aged 70 and older expected improvement. By gender, 35 percent of men held an optimistic view, compared with 28 percent of women. Pessimistic responses were identical for both genders at 36 percent.

On the question of personal household finances over the coming year, Democratic Party supporters were 32 percent positive and 11 percent negative, while PPP supporters were 6 percent positive and 46 percent negative.

Gallup Korea conducted the survey using random-digit dialing of virtual mobile phone numbers provided by the three major wireless carriers, with interviews conducted by telephone (CATI). The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, and the response rate was 10 percent. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.