[Public Opinion Briefing Vol. 65-2] President Lee Myung-bak's Stance on Sejong City / Opposition to the "Enrollment at Age 5" Proposal

[Public Opinion Briefing Vol. 65] Regular Public Opinion Barometer Survey

1. Stagnant Approval Rating for MB / Party Support Ratings

2. President Lee Myung-bak's Stance on Sejong City / Opposition to the "Enrollment at Age 5" Proposal

[Current Issue 1] Dialogue with the People: Half Success, Half Failure

President's Dialogue with the People on Sejong City: Half Success, Half Failure

Saw or Heard 49.5% vs. Did Not See or Hear 50.5%

Despite opposition from within and outside the party, the political sphere, and civil society, the Blue House and the government expressed their resolve to amend the original Sejong City plan for the nation's future and held a live broadcast dialogue with President Lee Myung-bak on November 27th via major media outlets including the three terrestrial broadcasters to persuade the public. According to AC Nielsen, which conducted viewership ratings, the broadcast recorded 26.8%. It was reported that one in four Koreans watched the program. In this public opinion poll, 49.5% of respondents had seen related news in newspapers or on television, even if they had not watched the dialogue directly, while 50.5% had not seen or heard about it. According to this survey, the effect of the dialogue with the people, intended to break the political deadlock on the Sejong City issue, can be summarized as half success, half failure.

[Figure 1] Did you see or hear news about the President's dialogue through newspapers or television? (%)

Half Failure: Public's Agreement with President Lee Myung-bak's Stance and Response on Sejong City Remains Low

Agree 39.8% vs. Disagree 52.5%

Following the live broadcast of the dialogue with the people, in which President Lee Myung-bak officially announced his intention to amend the Sejong City plan, including an apology stating "I felt ashamed and regretful," a poll was conducted on public agreement with his stance and response regarding the Sejong City issue. The results showed that 13.5% strongly agreed and 26.4% generally agreed, totaling 39.9% agreement. Conversely, 32.5% somewhat disagreed and 20.0% strongly disagreed, making a total of 52.5% disagreement. 7.7% were undecided or did not respond.

Half Success: Agreement Rate is High (50.0%) Among Those Who Saw News of the Dialogue on TV/Newspapers

However, the dialogue with the people, which focused on an apology regarding Sejong City, appears to have had a considerable effect. Among those who saw news related to the dialogue on TV or newspapers, 50.0% agreed, while 48.6% disagreed. In contrast, among those who did not see or hear the news, agreement was 29.9% and disagreement was 56.3%.

[Figure 2] Agreement with President Lee's Stance/Response on Sejong City: Overall Responses and Among Those Who Saw Related News (%)

Chungcheong Region: 32.9% Overall Agreement, 42.0% Agreement Among Those Who Heard Related News

Among Democratic Party Supporters, Agreement with the President Increases Among Those Who Heard the News

Looking at regional data, in all regions, the proportion of respondents who agreed with President Lee's stance and response on Sejong City was higher among those who had seen news about the dialogue with the people compared to the overall respondents. This suggests that exposure to the dialogue, directly or indirectly, increases the likelihood of agreeing with President Lee's position on Sejong City, indicating that the dialogue had an effect only on those who encountered related news. Notably, in the Chungcheong region, which has a direct stake in the issue, the overall agreement rate with President Lee's stance on Sejong City was only 32.9%, but it rose to 42.0% among those who had seen related news on TV or in newspapers.

Looking at party support, among Grand National Party supporters, agreement with President Lee Myung-bak's stance on Sejong City was 63.2% for those who had not seen news of the dialogue with the people, but it increased to 85.1% for those who had encountered the news. Among Democratic Party supporters, agreement with the President was 10.5% for those who had not encountered related news, but it rose to 18.7% among those who had, an increase of approximately 8.2 percentage points.

[Figure 3] Difference in President Lee's Approval Rating by Region: Overall Respondents vs. Those Who Saw News of the Dialogue with the People

[Figure 4] Difference in Approval Rating Among Grand National Party/Democratic Party Supporters Based on Whether They Saw News of the Dialogue with the People (%)

[Current Issue 2] High Opposition to the "Enrollment at Age 5" Proposal

Enrollment at Age 5: 28.2% in Favor, 56.5% Opposed

Opposition Rate Particularly High Among 30s and 40s

Regarding the proposal for enrollment at age 5 put forth by the Future Planning Committee, public opinion is predominantly against it. 56.5% of respondents expressed opposition, while only 28.2% were in favor. 15.4% responded that they were unsure. The proposal to lower the elementary school enrollment age to 5, announced alongside measures such as regulating abortions and offering university admission privileges for third children to encourage childbirth, has ultimately failed to gain public approval.

[Figure 1] Public Opinion on Enrollment at Age 5: For and Against (%)

Reasons for Support

Advanced Physical Development and Growth 47.5%, Reduced Private Education Costs 30.8%

Among those who supported the proposal, the most frequently cited reason was the accelerated physical development and growth of children, at 47.5%. Reducing private education costs by lowering the enrollment age was cited by 30.8%. 16.9% pointed to the advantage of entering the workforce one year earlier, and 4.8% were undecided or gave other reasons.

[Figure 3] Reasons for Support (%)

Reasons for Opposition

School Curriculum Too Demanding 47.6%, Private Education Costs Likely to Increase 30.2%

The most common reason cited for opposition was that the school curriculum would be too demanding for 5-year-olds, mentioned by 47.6%. Another significant concern was that private education costs would actually increase, cited by 30.2%. 11.5% expressed concern about increased competition due to a larger cohort of students during the settling-in period. Other reasons and undecided/no response accounted for 10.7%. Consequently, those who opposed the plan appear to be concerned about the increased burden on young children and, by extension, on parents.

[Figure 2] Reasons for Opposition (%)

Opposition Prevails Across Most Demographic Groups

[Table 1] Changes in Support/Opposition for Enrollment at Age 5 by Social Stratum (%)

There was no significant gender difference in opposition. Among women, 56.7% opposed the proposal, while 29.1% were in favor. Among men, 56.3% opposed it, and 27.2% were in favor. The remainder were undecided.

Looking at age groups, while opposition generally outweighed support across all ages, it was particularly high among those in their 30s and 40s, who typically have children of school age. In the 30s, opposition reached 67.8%, with only 23.2% in favor. In the 40s, opposition was also high at 63.9%. However, in the 20s, opposition was 52.3%, and in the 50s, it was 46.6%. While these figures still showed more opposition than support, they were lower than the opposition rates among the 30s and 40s.

By educational attainment, opposition exceeded a majority in all educational strata. Among those with a college degree or higher, 58.4% opposed the proposal, while 31.2% were in favor. Among high school graduates, opposition was 56.6% and support was 27.4%. For those with a middle school education or less, opposition was 52.3% and support was 31.2%.

By income level, support and opposition were closely matched among low-income households earning less than 1 million won per month (42.4% support, 46.8% opposition). In all other income brackets, opposition exceeded a majority. Among households earning 1.01 to 2 million won per month, opposition was highest at 61.7%. For households earning over 2 million won, opposition ranged from 53.8% to 55.4%.

In conclusion, the Future Planning Committee's proposal, aimed at alleviating the low birth rate by reducing the burden of private education costs, has failed to secure broad public consensus and support.