8 in 10 intend to vote in presidential election

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8 in 10 intend to vote in presidential election

Published: 15 May. 2025, 15:06 Updated: 15 May. 2025, 18:04

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Election officials hang up presidential candidate posters on a wall in Jongno District, central Seoul, on May 15. [NEWS1]

Eight out of 10 Korean voters said they will “definitely vote” in the upcoming June 3 presidential election, indicating a high level of voter enthusiasm, a new poll found.

The National Election Commission (NEC) released the results of a voter sentiment survey on Thursday, conducted by Gallup Korea on May 2 and 3 with 1,526 voters aged 18 or older nationwide. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

According to the poll, 86 percent of respondents said they would “definitely vote,” while 10.8 percent said they would “vote if possible.” Only 3 percent said they had little or no intention to vote.

The percentage of respondents with strong voting intentions rose by 3 percentage points from a similar survey ahead of the 2022 presidential election, when the figure stood at 83 percent. The actual turnout for that election was 77.1 percent.

By age group, voters aged 70 and older showed the highest intent to vote at 89.9 percent. They were followed by those in their 60s at 88.9 percent, 50s at 88.4 percent, 40s at 86.6 percent, 30s at 85.3 percent and voters aged 18 to 29 at 75.3 percent — demonstrating a general decline in voter enthusiasm with younger age groups.

Compared to the 2022 election, strong voting intention slightly declined among voters in their 60s and those aged 70 and older, but increased in all other age groups. The most significant gains were seen among voters aged 18 to 29, up by 8.9 percentage points, and those in their 40s, 4.9 percentage points higher.

Respondents who said they were “interested in the upcoming election” totaled 91.9 percent, up from 89.9 percent during the 2022 presidential race.

A pedestrian walks by posters of presidential election candidates at a bus station in Gwangju on May 15. [YONHAP]

Among those who intend to vote, 38.6 percent said they would cast their ballot during early voting.

This figure is lower than the 41.4 percent who intended to vote early ahead of last year’s general election and the 45.2 percent before the 2022 local elections, but higher than the 27.4 percent recorded before the 2022 presidential election.

Actual early voting turnout was 31.3 percent in last year’s general election, 20.6 percent in the 2022 local elections and 36.9 percent in the 2022 presidential election.

The top reason for choosing early voting was convenience, cited by 38.6 percent of respondents. This was followed by 25 percent who said they wanted to vote early in order to handle other commitments on Election Day and 14.7 percent who said they would be unable to vote on Election Day due to work or travel obligations.

Banners for presidential candidates are seen at an intersection in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, on May 15. [YONHAP]

When asked what factors they consider most important in selecting a candidate, 31.8 percent cited “capability and experience,” 27.3 percent said “policies and pledges,” 22.9 percent named “morality,” and 12.9 percent pointed to “party affiliation.”

Regarding the perceived impact of the election, 84.9 percent agreed that “the future of the country can change through this election,” and 73.1 percent agreed that “my everyday life and quality of life can change through this election.”

Additionally, 84.8 percent of respondents agreed that “my vote has a significant impact on the election outcome.”

The survey was conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviews with a sample composed of 90 percent mobile virtual numbers and 10 percent landline numbers. The response rate was 17 percent. Full survey results are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE JI-YOUNG [[email protected]]