[Public Opinion Briefing No. 136] Key Results of the 2013 Power Organization Trust and Influence Survey

[Public Opinion Briefing No. 136] Joint Project by EAI and JoongAng Ilbo

1. Project Overview and Progress

2. Key Survey Results for 24 Organizations in 2013

3. Analysis by Organization and Group

I. Project Overview and Progress

Since 2005, EAI and JoongAng Ilbo have been conducting the "Power Organization Trust and Influence Survey," which asks the public about the trust and influence of powerful organizations in Korean society. The survey has been conducted annually from 2005 to 2009, and biennially since 2009, making this the seventh survey.

Respondents were asked to rate the influence and trust of the surveyed organizations on a scale of 0 to 10, with 5 being average, 0 being the lowest, and 10 being the highest. The scores were then calculated as averages and ranked.

Given the large number of organizations surveyed, the actual survey was conducted in three sample groups. Therefore, survey results from different sample groups cannot be directly compared at the individual level. This necessitates careful interpretation when comparing rankings and scores.

The 2013 survey also made efforts to maintain the list of surveyed organizations as much as possible for comparison with past survey results. However, considering survey conditions, this year's survey asked the public about the influence and trust of a total of 24 organizations.

1. Surveyed Power Organizations(In Korean alphabetical order) -

Large Corporations: Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG, SK

Judiciary: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court

Civil Society: Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (KCEJ), New Right, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTUW), People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU)

Political Parties: Democratic Party, Saenuri Party, Justice Party, Unified Progressive Party

Government: Board of Audit and Inspection, Prosecutor's Office, Police, National Tax Service, National Intelligence Service (NIS), Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), Blue House

2. Survey Implementation-

Sampling: Quota sampling proportional to population by gender, age, and region

Methodology: Telephone interviews using structured questionnaires

Respondents: Men and women aged 19 and over nationwide

Sample Size: 600 per group

Margin of Error: ±4.0% at a 95% confidence level

Survey Period: August 5-8, 2013 (4 days)

Survey Organization: JoongAng Ilbo Research Team

3. Participating Researchers(In Korean alphabetical order)

Kang Won-taek (Seoul National University) · Shin Chang-woon (JoongAng Ilbo) · Lee Hyun-woo (Sogang University) · Jeong Won-chul (EAI) · Jeong Han-wool (EAI)

* In the 2013 survey, the Unified Progressive Party and the Justice Party were newly included in the political party category, while the Korean Teachers' Union and the Lawyers for Democratic Society were removed from the civil society organizations surveyed. The list of surveyed organizations is adjusted by 2-3 institutions each survey based on the researchers' discussions and judgments, considering research objectives, practical survey conditions, and the situation at the time. This is to clarify that these changes are unrelated to the influence and trust of the respective organizations.

II. Key Survey Results for 24 Organizations in 2013

1. Overview

Kang Won-taek, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Seoul National University

The 2013 survey indicates that the public continues to rate the influence and trust of large corporations higher than other organizations. Hyundai Motor and Samsung ranked first and second in trust, respectively, with SK ranking fourth, similar to previous surveys. In terms of influence, Samsung and Hyundai Motor were ranked first and second, followed by the Prosecutor's Office in third place.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS), which has been central to recent political affairs, ranked 16th in trust and 14th in influence. Among government organizations, it recorded the lowest scores in both trust and influence. In terms of trust, the NIS received lower ratings than civil society organizations such as the FKI and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union. The Prosecutor's Office, while perceived as highly influential (3rd rank), showed very low trust (14th rank), ranking lowest among government organizations excluding the NIS. In contrast, the Police ranked 6th in influence and 8th in trust.

Interestingly, the Saenuri Party ranked 13th in influence and 12th in trust, occupying a middle position among the 26 surveyed organizations. In past surveys, the Grand National Party (predecessor to Saenuri) was perceived as influential but not trustworthy; this year's results show a slight difference.

In contrast, the Democratic Party received negative evaluations. Its influence ranked 17th, which could be attributed to its status as an opposition party. However, its trust score of 20th place was lower than that of civil society organizations like the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, PSPD, KCEJ, and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), indicating a negative public perception of the Democratic Party. The Unified Progressive Party and the Justice Party ranked last in both trust and influence. While this may partly be due to their weaker party strength, the fact that both the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions also ranked at the bottom suggests a crisis in progressive politics.

2. Distribution of Influence and Trust

Jeong Won-chul, Head of EAI Public Opinion Analysis Team

[Table 1] Survey Results of Power Organization Rankings and Scores

* In the 2011 survey, the Unified Progressive Party and Justice Party were surveyed as the Democratic Labor Party, and the Saenuri Party was surveyed as the Grand National Party.

- Large corporations, the judiciary, police, Blue House, FSS, and Board of Audit and Inspection: High in both influence and trust

- Opposition parties and civil society organizations: Low in both influence and trust

- Ruling party, Prosecutor's Office, National Tax Service, NIS: High influence but low trust

The public's perception of power organizations in Korean society reveals that some organizations are perceived as having both high influence and high trust, while others are perceived as having low influence and low trust. There are also organizations perceived as having high influence but low trust. However, no organization is perceived as having higher trust than influence (see Figure 1).

Organizations perceived as having both high influence and high trust include large corporations and the judiciary. Among government organizations, only the police, Blue House, FSS, and Board of Audit and Inspection fall into this category. Conversely, organizations perceived as having low influence and low trust include opposition parties and civil society organizations. The ruling party, along with prominent government power organizations such as the Prosecutor's Office, National Tax Service, and NIS, are perceived as having high influence but low trust.

- Blue House and FSS: Increased in both influence and trust

- NIS and National Tax Service: Increased influence but decreased trust

Comparing these distributions with the 2011 survey results reveals several commonalities and differences (see Figure 2). Large corporations and the judiciary, as in the 2011 survey, were rated high in both influence and trust. Among government organizations, only the police and the Board of Audit and Inspection could be classified as having high influence and trust. The fact that opposition parties and civil society organizations were included in the group with low influence and trust is also a commonality with the 2011 survey results (see Table 1).

However, the inclusion of the Blue House and the FSS in the category of organizations with high trust and influence represents a change compared to the 2011 survey results. In the 2011 survey, both the Blue House and the FSS were included in the group with high influence but low trust.

There are also organizations that moved from the high influence and trust group to the high influence but low trust group. These are the NIS and the National Tax Service. In the 2011 survey results, the NIS was a government organization perceived as having low influence and trust. The National Tax Service was a government organization perceived as having high influence and trust.

[Figure 1] Distribution of Power Organization Survey Results in 2013

[Figure 2] Distribution of Power Organization Survey Results in 2011

3. Magnitude of Change in Influence and Trust

- Influence Increase: 1st Saenuri Party, 2nd FSS, 3rd Board of Audit and Inspection

- Influence Decrease: 1st New Right, 2nd PSPD, 3rd KCEJ

We examined the extent of changes in the influence and trust of power organizations by comparing them with the 2011 survey results. Based on the increase in influence from the 2011 survey results to this year's survey, the order was Saenuri Party > FSS > Board of Audit and Inspection > Prosecutor's Office > Blue House > NIS > National Tax Service. All organizations that saw an increase in influence were either the ruling party or government organizations, and the increase for all these organizations was over 0.10 percentage points (p) (see Figure 3).

Conversely, there were also organizations perceived to have experienced a decrease in influence. Based on the magnitude of the decrease, the order was New Right > PSPD > KCEJ > KCTU > Democratic Party > Supreme Court > FKI > FKTU. With the exception of the Supreme Court, all were opposition parties or civil society organizations, and the decrease for all of them significantly exceeded -0.10 percentage points (p).

Of course, there were also organizations with relatively small fluctuations in influence compared to the 2011 survey results. These include the Constitutional Court, the Police, Samsung, Hyundai Motor, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, SK, and LG. It can be seen that the perceived change in the extent of influence for all four large corporations was small.

- Trust Increase: 1st FSS, 2nd Blue House, 3rd Saenuri Party

- Trust Decrease: 1st New Right, 2nd Democratic Party, 3rd PSPD

Comparing with the 2011 survey results, the power organizations perceived to have increased in trust, based on the magnitude of the increase, were FSS > Blue House > Saenuri Party > Board of Audit and Inspection > Police. Similar to the comparison of influence survey results, in the trust survey results as well, all power organizations with increased scores were either the ruling party or government organizations. The increase for all these organizations was over 0.10 percentage points (p), with the FSS increasing by 0.80 percentage points (p), the Blue House by 0.45 percentage points (p), and the Saenuri Party by 0.31 percentage points (p).

Based on the magnitude of the decrease, the organization that showed the largest decrease in trust was New Right, with a decrease of -0.73 percentage points (p). The Democratic Party, PSPD, NIS, KCTU, KCEJ, FKTU, National Tax Service, and Hyundai Motor also showed decreases greater than -0.30 percentage points (p). The magnitude of the decrease for the Supreme Court, SK, FKI, LG, and Samsung was greater than -0.10 percentage points (p).

There were also organizations with small fluctuations in trust compared to the 2011 survey results. These include the Constitutional Court, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, and the Prosecutor's Office. However, while the Constitutional Court was an organization with high trust and maintained high trust in this year's survey, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union and the Prosecutor's Office were organizations with low trust, and they continued to show low trust in this year's survey.

[Figure 3] Changes in Influence and Trust (Points)

III. Analysis by Organization and Group

1. Overview

Lee Hyun-woo, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Sogang University

The influence and trust of major Korean organizations, surveyed seven times to date, reflect the trends of socio-political changes. The consistent finding that influence is always higher than trust in all organizations reflects the chronic lack of trust in Korean politics. The analysis was conducted by categorizing surveyed organizations into government organizations, large corporations, and civil society groups. The significantly higher trust in large corporations compared to government organizations or civil society groups, not just their influence, can be attributed to public recognition of their contributions to the Korean economy, despite negative perceptions of large corporations. A concern here is the potential for the operational principles of large corporations to become the standard for Korean society due to their high public evaluation. Competition-centered large corporations and a society of coexistence are inherently discriminatory.

The current survey results confirm the public's perception that government influence has been steadily increasing since the launch of the Lee Myung-bak administration. However, trust has not kept pace with the rising influence, indicating that the public is not highly satisfied with the government. Given that the quality of democracy is significantly influenced by the quality of governance, it is important to note that low government quality can lead to dissatisfaction not only in politics but also in overall life.

Civil society groups that had high influence and trust during the participatory government era have seen both their influence and trust decline since the Lee Myung-bak administration. While the development of democracy was expected to be accompanied by the revitalization of civil society, interest in civil society organizations has waned, and negative evaluations have increased. This is because interest groups have become preoccupied with pursuing their individual interests, and public interest groups have not made distinct contributions to social development as they did previously. The significant reduction in support for civil society organizations by the Lee Myung-bak administration also played a role.

In particular, the 2013 survey shows significantly lower influence and trust for civil society organizations compared to previous surveys, which is likely due to the economic recession. The public, weary of prolonged economic hardship, expects the government to lead in setting goals and initiating problem-solving, rather than diverse voices. Furthermore, the fact that the Park Geun-hye administration has preempted issues of welfare and economic revitalization may have rendered the voices of opposition parties and civil society organizations inaudible. The extent to which the Park Geun-hye administration demonstrates its problem-solving capabilities to meet public expectations will be reflected in the next survey.

[Figure 4] Changes in Average Influence Scores by Three Groups

* Corporate Group: Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG

Government Agencies: Prosecutor's Office, Constitutional Court, Police, National Tax Service, Blue House, Supreme Court, Board of Audit and Inspection, National Intelligence Service

Social Groups: Federation of Korean Industries, Korean Teachers' and Education Workers' Union, Federation of Korean Trade Unions, Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, People's Solidarity for Participatory Self-Government and Transparency, New Right

[Figure 5] Changes in Average Trust Scores by Three Groups

* Corporate Group: Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG

Government Agencies: Prosecutor's Office, Constitutional Court, Police, National Tax Service, Blue House, Supreme Court, Board of Audit and Inspection, National Intelligence Service

Social Groups: Federation of Korean Industries, Korean Teachers' and Education Workers' Union, Federation of Korean Trade Unions, Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, People's Solidarity for Participatory Self-Government and Transparency, New Right

2. Characteristics of Survey Results for Four Government Power Organizations

Jeong Won-chil, Team Leader, EAI Public Opinion Analysis Team

- Influence: Prosecutor's Office > National Tax Service > Board of Audit and Inspection > National Intelligence Service

- Trust: Board of Audit and Inspection > National Tax Service > Prosecutor's Office > National Intelligence Service

Among traditional government power organizations, the Prosecutor's Office has been at the center of controversy, facing reform debates with each significant case. The National Tax Service must identify tax sources for future underground economy regularization and welfare fund generation, but it has suffered from scandals involving its commissioner and senior officials. The Board of Audit and Inspection garnered media attention for its new audit results on the Four Major Rivers Project. The National Intelligence Service is at the center of political conflict due to allegations of election interference during the last presidential election and the disclosure of the 2007 NLL (Northern Limit Line) talks transcript.

In this year's survey, the influence scores ranked as follows: Prosecutor's Office > National Tax Service > Board of Audit and Inspection > National Intelligence Service. All four power organizations have seen an increase in their influence scores since 2006. Specifically, the Prosecutor's Office's influence score increased from 5.97 in 2006 to 6.58 in this year's survey. The National Tax Service's score rose from 5.74 in 2006 to 6.31 this year, and the Board of Audit and Inspection's score, which was 5.79 when first included in the survey in 2008, continued to increase to 6.11 in this year's survey. The National Intelligence Service's score increased from 4.71 in 2006 to 5.51 this year.

[Figure 6] Changes in Average Influence Scores for Four Government Power Organizations

The public's trust in the power structures of these four government agencies follows the order: Board of Audit and Inspection > National Tax Service > Prosecutor's Office > National Intelligence Service. However, while the magnitude of influence showed an increasing trend, the magnitude of trust, excluding the Board of Audit and Inspection, showed a decreasing trend.

The trust score for the Board of Audit and Inspection, which showed the highest trust among the four power organizations, increased from 4.93 in 2008, when it was first included in the survey, to 5.07 in the 2013 survey. The National Tax Service, despite showing fluctuations in its score since the first survey in 2005, reached its peak at 5.03 in 2007; however, its score of 4.69 in this year's survey represents a significant decline. The Prosecutor's Office has experienced a continuous decline in trust since the 2007 survey, with its trust score in this year's survey only reaching 4.48. The National Intelligence Service also recorded a trust score of 4.02 this year, which, excluding the 2006 score of 4.01, is the lowest trust score recorded.

[Figure 7] Changes in Average Trust Scores for Four Government Power Organizations

3. Influence and Trust by Ideological Orientation of Organizations

- Progressive organizations show a larger decline in influence

- Trust also declines concurrently

The gap of distrust in Korean society has not spared either progressive or conservative organizations. For both conservative and progressive organizations, the level of trust was lower than the level of influence. In particular, in the 2013 survey, the trust scores for both progressive and conservative organizations plummeted.

However, in terms of influence, the decline was steeper for progressive organizations compared to conservative ones. The influence levels of conservative and progressive organizations, which started on the same footing in the first survey in 2005, diverged as conservative organizations gained an advantage in the 2006 and 2007 surveys, but the gap narrowed in subsequent surveys. This year's survey, however, saw a relatively sharp decline in the influence of progressive organizations compared to conservative ones.

The decline in the influence of progressive organizations was also reflected in the trust survey results. While the trust scores for conservative and progressive organizations fluctuated between 2006 and 2011, this year's survey showed no significant difference between them. This is because the trust score for progressive organizations dropped from 4.39 in 2011 to 4.01 in this year's survey, showing only a 0.02 percentage point difference with the trust score of conservative organizations. Although the trust score for conservative organizations decreased from 4.24 in 2011 to 4.03 in 2013, the rate of decline was relatively smaller compared to progressive organizations. ■

[Figure 8] Changes in Trust and Influence Scores by Ideological Orientation of Organizations

Conservative Organizations: New Right, Saenuri Party, Federation of Korean Industries, Federation of Korean Trade Unions

Progressive Organizations: Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Democratic Party, Korean Teachers' and Education Workers' Union, People's Solidarity for Participatory Self-Government and Transparency

* The Unified Progressive Party and the Justice Party were excluded from the analysis as time-series comparisons were difficult.