After the 2016-17 Candlelight Protests: An Analysis of Candlelight Protesters’ Political Attitudes and Behavior (2022.12)
- Author : Jai Kwan Jung
- Publication : Korea and World Politics
- Publisher : The Institute for Far Eastern Studies
- Volume : 38(4)
- Date : December 2022
Abstract : What are the political impacts of the 2016-17 candlelight protests? To explore the question, this article analyzes an original survey data designed to assess whether candlelight protest participants maintain distinctive political attitudes even five years after the contentious episode. It shows that, first, candlelight protesters tend to have a higher level of political interest and efficacy and a lower level of political trust in court, the prosecution, and the police while leaning toward the left. Second, they also concern more about growing inequality while supporting the idea that democracy should try to reduce the gap between the wealthy and the poor. Third, candlelight protesters support more strongly that democracy should guarantee gender equality and authoritarianism should not be permitted in any circumstances. These attitudes of candlelight protesters are associated with a higher likelihood of turnout in the 20th presidential elections. These results imply that the micro-foundation of Korean democracy appears robust, compared to other democracies that have experienced deteriorating public confidence in democracy itself.