Nearly twice as many South Koreans distrust the police as trust them, according to a new Gallup Korea poll.
Gallup Korea released the findings Friday, based on a survey of 1,001 adults aged 18 and older conducted Tuesday through Thursday nationwide. The poll covered the new criminal justice framework following the abolition of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on Oct. 2.
In the survey, 29 percent of respondents said they trust the Korean National Police Agency, while 57 percent said they do not. The share expressing trust fell 18 percentage points from 47 percent recorded in an April last year poll.
By gender, trust fell among both men and women over the same period — from 51 percent to 30 percent among men, and from 43 percent to 27 percent among women.
The sharpest declines were seen among younger age groups. Trust among those aged 18 to 29 dropped from 61 percent to 35 percent, while the figure for those in their 30s fell from 50 percent to 26 percent. Among respondents aged 70 and older, trust fell from 48 percent to 30 percent; those in their 40s dropped from 47 percent to 30 percent; those in their 50s from 40 percent to 25 percent; and those in their 60s from 40 percent to 27 percent.
By political orientation, 41 percent of self-identified progressives, 28 percent of moderates and 19 percent of conservatives said they trust the police in this year's survey. Compared with last year's results, trust fell 12 percentage points among progressives (from 53 percent), 18 points among moderates (from 46 percent) and 24 points among conservatives (from 43 percent) — the steepest decline of any group.
However, Gallup Korea cautioned that the two surveys may not be directly comparable. "Last year's question referred to 'the police,' while this year's referred to 'the Korean National Police Agency,' which may have led respondents to perceive the questions differently," the pollster said.
The survey was conducted via telephone interviews using virtual mobile numbers. The response rate was 9.7 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
arin@heraldcorp.com
