More than half of South Korean voters say they would consider voting for a candidate outside their usual political preference if the candidate offered strong climate policies, according to a new survey.
The survey of 17,000 voters across all 17 provinces and major cities in South Korea found that 53.5 per cent of respondents said they could vote for a candidate with strong climate pledges even if the candidate did not align with their usual political views, said the research initiative Climate Political Wind, a joint project involving the Seoul-based thinktank Green Transition Institute.
Researchers said the findings suggest climate policy is increasingly emerging as a decisive factor in voter behaviour rather than a niche environmental concern.
Regional differences were relatively small. Support for voting across political lines based on climate pledges ranged from 48.3 per cent in the capital Seoul, the lowest, to 60.8 per cent in South Jeolla province, the highest, a gap of 12.5 percentage points.
That regional gap has narrowed compared with a similar survey two years ago, when the difference stood at 15.2 percentage points, indicating that so-called “climate voters” are spreading more evenly across the country.
The survey also found strong public backing for phasing out coal-fired power. Some 72.2 per cent of respondents supported the government’s target to eliminate coal power plants by 2040.
Support remained high even in regions that host operating coal plants, including South Chungcheong province (70.6 per cent), South Gyeongsang province (70.4 per cent) and Gangwon province (68.9 per cent).
The findings mark a shift from a previous survey conducted last year, when support in some regions had leaned more toward a slower phase-out timeline extending to 2050.
When asked what types of power generation they would support in regional election pledges, respondents across all provinces ranked renewable energy highest, followed by nuclear power and fossil fuels.
Even in cities with significant nuclear facilities, such as Busan and Ulsan, renewable energy received more than 64 per cent support.
The survey also showed strong opposition to energy policies that prioritise sending electricity from non-capital regions to the Seoul metropolitan area.
About 65.7 per cent of respondents said the government should prioritise a “local production, local consumption” approach to energy supply, compared with just 12.3 per cent who supported transporting power generated in other regions to the capital region.
Support for local energy use was also strong in the Seoul metropolitan area itself. Among voters in Seoul, 58 per cent backed the principle, rising to 61.9 per cent in Gyeonggi province and 64.8 per cent in Incheon.
Respondents in Gyeonggi province also expressed reservations about the planned semiconductor industrial complex in Yongin, with 46.5 per cent saying the project should be relocated to regions with more abundant electricity supply, compared with 28.4 per cent who said it should proceed as planned.
Similar patterns have been observed internationally. European Union–wide polling has shown strong public backing for specific climate policies, with one survey finding that about 70 per cent of respondents supported a rail fund aimed at cutting transport emissions and 55 per cent backed mandatory home insulation programmes with subsidies.
Support was particularly strong among younger and more educated voters, groups that researchers say are often key drivers of climate-focused electoral behaviour.
Academic research has also suggested that climate events themselves can influence political outcomes. A study examining European Parliament elections between 1989 and 2019 found that temperature shocks before elections increased support for moderate political parties and heightened the prominence of climate issues in election campaigns.
