As the government prepares to gather public opinion on whether to build new nuclear power plants, a poll found support for new construction was more than twice as high as opposition. Support for new plants was also dominant among Democratic Party supporters and those with centrist and progressive leanings.
According to Gallup Korea on the 16th, a regular poll of 1,000 people nationwide ages 18 and older conducted on the 13th-15th found that 54% said new nuclear plants "should be built," while 25% said they "should not be built." Twenty-one percent withheld a response.
By region, support was around 50% in all areas and higher than opposition. Seoul showed the highest support for building new plants at 60%. Opposition to building new plants was highest in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang at 35%.
By gender, men supported by 70% and opposed by 20%, with support overwhelmingly higher. Among women, 38% supported and 29% opposed, a narrower gap.
Among respondents who said they support the Democratic Party, 42% supported new plants and 35% opposed. Among People Power Party supporters, 72% supported and 10% opposed. Among the unaffiliated, support for nuclear power (56%) was nearly three times higher than opposition (19%).
By ideology, 71% of conservatives supported new plants, while only 12% said they opposed. Among moderates, support (50%) led opposition (28%) by about two to one. Among progressives, support for new plants was 50% and opposition 35% was found.
In a survey on perceptions of the safety and risks of Korea's nuclear power plants, 28% said "very safe" and 35% said "somewhat safe," with 63% expressing trust in nuclear safety. Distrust, including "somewhat dangerous" (18%) and "very dangerous" (5%), totaled 23%, and 13% withheld an opinion.
The survey used computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) with wireless virtual numbers randomly extracted from those provided by the three mobile carriers. The response rate was 11.9%. The margin of sampling error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
The poll was conducted to decide whether to continue pushing the plan to build new nuclear plants, which was included in the 11th Basic Plan for Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand, by reflecting it in the 12th plan, which is currently being drawn up. The government plans to move forward with new plant construction based on the results of prior forums and polling.