Young South Korean men and women deeply divided on politics, survey shows

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The poll found that men and women in their 20s had the largest political ideology gap of any age group

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SCMP’s Asia desk

Published: 3:02pm, 7 Mar 2025

South Korea’s young voters are more ideologically divided than older generations, a new survey has found, with men in their 20s gravitating toward conservatism while their female peers largely favour liberal politics, raising concerns about the country’s growing polarisation.

The poll – commissioned jointly by Seoul National University and the Chosun Ilbo newspaper – ranked respondents’ ideological orientation on a scale of one to 10, with higher scores indicating more conservative tendencies. Men in their 20s recorded an average score of 5.42, while women in the same age group averaged 4.64.

Such a significant gap was not observed in other age groups, the Chosun Ilbo noted in a report on the results published on Friday.

The poll was conducted from February 25 to 26 and surveyed 1,546 men and women nationwide.

The same trend was also reflected in respondents’ choices of political parties and perceptions of foreign countries.

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South Korea’s birth rate rises as marriages surge, ending nearly a decade of decline

Nearly 30 per cent of young male respondents supported the conservative ruling People Power Party – the party of impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol – about five percentage points more than those backing the liberal Democratic Party, the main opposition.