Credit: Public domain.
Because South Korean political parties often use opinion surveys as rough indicators of votes, there are incentives to game the polls - and in the process, undermine their credibility. (See previous coverage, “How Opinion Polls are Gamed.”) A recent poll by Hankook Research 한국리서치 shows that the public may be souring on opinion polls.
Overall, respondents considered opinion polls necessary and valuable, with 93% saying that opinion polls are necessary, and 74% saying that they play a role in maintaining and advancing democracy. 60% of respondents said they trusted opinion polls, reflecting a generally strong level of trust - but that 60% obscures heavy variation depending on what the polls are about.
Polls on lifestyle (64%) or values issues (62%) are generally considered trustworthy, while only a minority of respondents trusted polls about policy positions (42%) or politics (40%).
