[Opinion Briefing No. 41-3] 56.2% Oppose MB's Educational Stance

[Opinion Briefing No. 41] Table of Contents 

[1] Top Issue of the First Year in Office: Perception of

[2] Where Should the Lee Myung-bak Administration's Ideological Stance Go in its Second Year?

[3] Public Opinion Trends on Current Issues

[4] Assessment and Outlook for the Lee Myung-bak Administration Entering its Second Year

Public Opinion Trends on Current Issues

Interpretations of Major Korean Social Issues Deepen Based on Political Stance

- It is problematic when diverse differences in opinion escalate into ideological and political conflict rather than competing in a policy-rational manner.

• Method of the National Assessment of Academic Achievement

Q) Regarding the National Assessment of Academic Achievement conducted for 6th graders, 9th graders, and 10th graders, which method do you think is better?

    ① The current method, where all students are assessed and results are publicized

    ② The previous method, where a portion of students were assessed and results were not publicized

□ 52.0% Prefer the Current Method, 42.1% Prefer the Previous Method

□ The preference for the current method increases with lower academic achievement and higher age

□ Among parents, men in their 30s and 40s preferred the previous method, while women in their 40s preferred the current method.

A majority of the public, 52.0%, expressed a preference for the "current method where all students are assessed and results are publicized" for the National Assessment of Academic Achievement, whose results were released on February 16th. In contrast, 42.1% preferred the "previous method where a portion of students were assessed and results were not publicized." Undecided/No response was 5.8%.

[Figure 10] Preference for National Assessment of Academic Achievement and Disclosure Method (%)

Examining the survey results by age, academic background, household income, and region of residence reveals certain trends. Firstly, by age group, 54.0% of those in their 30s preferred the previous method, a difference of 13.5 percentage points (P) higher than the 40.5% who preferred the current method. Conversely, among those aged 50 and over, the preference for the current method reached 60.6%, significantly exceeding the 31.1% preference for the previous method.



Particularly noteworthy is the 40s female demographic. Among women in their 40s, who are likely to have middle or high school children, the proportion preferring the current method was 61.5%. Compared to the response rates for the current method preference among 40s men (42.1%), 30s women (43.4%), and 30s men (37.6%), the response rate for 40s women is notably higher. In terms of preferring the previous method, the response from 40s women was 32.6%, significantly lower than that of 40s men (50.1%), 30s women (53.4%), and 30s men (54.6%). This can be understood as a reflection of the characteristics of women in their 40s, who are inevitably sensitive to their children's academic performance.



By academic background, the preference for the current method was high across all strata, while the preference for the previous method relatively increased with higher academic attainment (28.8% for middle school or below, 42.5% for high school graduates, and 46.0% for college graduates or higher).

[Figure 11] Attitudes Towards National Assessment of Academic Achievement and Disclosure Method by Age (30s-40s) and Gender

[Table 2] Stance on the National Assessment of Academic Achievement Method (%)

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• Stance on the educational policy directive related to 'competition'

Q) Regarding the government's educational policies, which of the following two statements is your opinion closer to?

    ① I support the government's policies as they enhance students' abilities through appropriate competition.

    ② I oppose the government's policies as they excessively encourage competition and increase students' burden.

□ 41.4% Support the Lee Myung-bak Administration's Educational Policy Directive on 'Competition', 56.2% Oppose

□ Opposition is higher across all age groups except those 50 and over

□ The higher the academic background, the less desire for excessive academic competition.

More citizens expressed a negative stance on the Lee Myung-bak administration's educational policies related to 'competition'. While 41.4% supported the government's 'competition'-related educational policies, stating they "enhance students' abilities through appropriate competition," 56.2% opposed them, stating they "excessively encourage competition and increase students' burden." (Undecided/No response: 2.4%). Consequently, this reflects the perception that while appropriate competition is necessary to improve students' abilities, the current administration's educational policies are inducing excessive competition.

[Figure 12] Support/Opposition for 'Competition'-Related Educational Policies (%)

Examining the survey results by age, negative stances on the Lee Myung-bak administration's 'competition'-related educational policies appear to be led by those in their 30s and 40s. In the 30s, 78.4% opposed educational policies that foster excessive competition, and in the 40s, this figure was 61.4%. In contrast, among those aged 50 and over, the proportion supporting the idea that competition is necessary for improving students' abilities was high at 61.9%. For those aged 50 and over, opposition to the Lee Myung-bak administration's 'competition'-related educational policies was only 34.0%.

Differences in stance on the Lee Myung-bak administration's 'competition'-related educational policies were also relatively distinct by academic background. Among those with a middle school education or below, support for government policies was high at 56.1%, but this figure decreased to 43.3% for high school graduates and 34.7% for those with some college education or higher.

Based on monthly household income, support for the policies was higher at 49.7% among low-income households earning 1 million won or less, exceeding the opposition rate of 41.5%. In the 1.01 to 2 million won bracket, support was 47.7% and opposition was 50.4%, a close split. However, among income groups of 2 million won or more, opposition was higher. In the 2.01 to 3 million won income bracket, opposition was 66.2%, and in the 3.01 to 4 million won bracket and the high-income bracket of over 4 million won, opposition to the Lee Myung-bak administration's 'competition'-related educational policies was 59.0%.

[Table 3] Stance on 'Competition'-Related Educational Policies (%)

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• Condamnation judiciaire du mouvement de boycott publicitaire contre Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo et Dong-A Ilbo

Question : Le tribunal a condamné l'année dernière, lors des manifestations de la bougie, les personnes qui ont boycotté les produits des entreprises qui faisaient de la publicité dans Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo et Dong-A Ilbo. Que pensez-vous de la décision du tribunal ?

① Je pense que c'est une décision juste

② Je pense que c'est une décision injuste

□ Décision juste 31%, décision injuste 62%

□ Les opinions divergent selon l'orientation politique (évaluation de la gestion du gouvernement, parti politique soutenu, orientation idéologique, etc.)

Le 19 février, le tribunal a condamné les personnes qui ont organisé un mouvement de boycott, c'est-à-dire un mouvement de boycott publicitaire, contre les produits des entreprises qui faisaient de la publicité dans Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo et Dong-A Ilbo lors des manifestations de la bougie de l'année dernière. À ce sujet, 31,0 % de nos citoyens estiment que « c'est une décision juste », tandis que 62,0 % estiment que « ce n'est pas une décision juste ».

Tout d'abord, en examinant les couches qui évaluent positivement ce jugement, on observe un schéma similaire à celui de l'évaluation du test national d'aptitude scolaire et des politiques éducatives du gouvernement Lee Myung-bak examinées précédemment. L'opinion « c'est une décision juste » est relativement plus élevée chez les personnes de 50 ans et plus (43,7 %), celles ayant un niveau d'études inférieur au collège (38,1 %), et celles dont le revenu mensuel moyen du foyer est inférieur à 1 million de won (34,3 %) et supérieur à 4,01 millions de won (34,4 %). Ces groupes sont des partisans du président Lee Myung-bak et du Grand National Party, ou des groupes ayant une forte orientation conservatrice. En revanche, les groupes pour lesquels l'opinion « ce n'est pas une décision juste » est forte sont les diplômés de l'enseignement supérieur, la jeune génération, les progressistes, c'est-à-dire les partisans traditionnels du parti d'opposition. Cela suggère que le soutien aux partis politiques ou les différences idéologiques se traduisent par des divergences d'opinions sur diverses questions.

En fait, 53,0 % des citoyens qui estiment que la gestion du gouvernement Lee Myung-bak est bonne ont répondu que ce jugement était juste. Parmi les citoyens qui évaluent négativement le gouvernement Lee Myung-bak, seulement 18,1 % ont soutenu ce jugement. En ce qui concerne le parti politique soutenu, 54,5 % des partisans du Grand National Party et 16,4 % des partisans du Democratic Party ont répondu que ce jugement était juste, ce qui contraste. 39,4 % des partisans du Grand National Party et 77,2 % des partisans du Democratic Party ont répondu que ce n'était pas une décision juste. Sur le plan idéologique, 48,7 % des personnes se déclarant conservatrices et 24,0 % des personnes se déclarant progressistes ont répondu que c'était une décision juste. De plus, 46,7 % des personnes se déclarant conservatrices et 71,0 % des personnes se déclarant progressistes considèrent que ce jugement n'était pas juste.

Les divergences d'opinions selon le parti politique soutenu et l'orientation idéologique ne sont pas seulement évidentes dans la question du « jugement sur les internautes exerçant une pression pour l'arrêt de la publicité », mais se retrouvent également dans les questions relatives à « l'évaluation de la tendance des politiques éducatives du gouvernement Lee Myung-bak » et à « la méthode d'évaluation nationale des aptitudes scolaires » examinées précédemment. Cela signifie que la majorité des citoyens évaluent les questions actuelles non pas sur la base d'une perspective pragmatique axée sur les intérêts, mais sur la base de leur orientation politique et de leur idéologie.

[Figure 13] Évaluation du jugement de culpabilité pour le boycott publicitaire (en %)

Note 1. Ne pas savoir/sans réponse non indiqué

[Figure 14] Évaluation du résultat du jugement par orientation politique (en %)

Note 1. Ne pas savoir/sans réponse non indiqué

[Figure 15] Orientation politique et tendance des politiques éducatives du gouvernement Lee Myung-bak axées sur la « concurrence » (en %)

Note 1. Ne pas savoir/sans réponse non indiqué

[Figure 16] Opinion sur la méthode d'évaluation et de publication des résultats du test national d'aptitude scolaire (en %)

Note 1. Ne pas savoir/sans réponse non indiqué