(LEAD) One week before election, two main candidates still neck and neck: polls

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with more poll results in last 12 paras; ADDS photos)

SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- With one week to go before the March 9 presidential election, the two main presidential candidates are still running neck and neck, new polls showed Wednesday.

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol led his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung in six of seven polls released on the day, while Lee was ahead of Yoon in only one poll. Their gaps were within the margin of error in most of the polls.

The polls are among the last to be published before the election. By law, polls conducted within six days of the election cannot be published until after voting closes.

In a Realmeter survey conducted Monday and Tuesday, Yoon earned 46.3 percent support against Lee 's 43.1 percent.

The 3.2 percentage point gap was within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

In third place was Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party with 6.7 percent, followed by Sim Sang-jeung of the Justice Party with 1.9 percent.

When asked which candidate is likely to win the election, 50.3 percent picked Yoon, while 44.6 percent chose Lee.

Of the total 1,007 respondents, 88.7 percent said they plan to continue to support their favored candidate, while 9.6 percent said they could change their mind.

In a poll conducted by Ace Research and Consulting Group on Sunday and Monday, Yoon led Lee 44.6 percent to 43.7 percent.

The survey also had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

Ahn and Sim followed at 7.4 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively.

In the survey of 1,004 adults, 48.9 picked Yoon as the candidate most likely to win, while 46.7 percent chose Lee.

Yoon also topped another Ace Research survey conducted on 1,004 people Sunday and Monday with 44.6 percent support against Lee's 43.7 percent. Their gap was within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Ahn and Sim received 7.4 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively.

A survey conducted by Global Research on 1,006 people Monday and Tuesday showed Yoon leading Lee at 42.3 percent vs. 36.6 percent, within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

They were trailed by Ahn and Sim at 6.7 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.

In a JoWon C&I poll of 3,004 adults from Saturday to Tuesday, Yoon earned 45.3 percent of support compared with Lee's 42.4 percent. Its margin of error is plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.

Ahn and Sim followed at 7.3 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.

Another JoWon C&I survey of 1,013 people Monday and Tuesday put Yoon ahead of Lee with 44.9 percent to 42.1 percent, also within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Ahn and Sim recorded 7 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.

Lee outpolled Yoon only in a Media Research survey conducted on 1,000 adults Monday and Tuesday with 45 percent to 44.9 percent. Its margin of error is also plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Ahn and Sim had 5.1 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively.

Yoon outstripped Lee in a poll by People Networks Research conducted on 4,014 adults from Saturday to Tuesday with 46.5 percent to 42.5 percent. Their gap was outside the margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points.

They were followed by Ahn at 6.4 percent and Sim at 2.1 percent.

hague@yna.co.kr
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