I’m still looking into it, but as far as I can tell, the poll was made by a conservative paper while under the US Military government in Korea, so the questions on it seem to be from a liberal/capitalist perspective. (The poll itself might have been sponsored by the US Military government itself; I am not clear on this point).

For example, one of the other questions asks something like, “What do you support: Dictatorship of 1 individual (irrespective to the will of the people), Dictatorship of a few individuals (irrespective of public will), Class dictatorship (irrespective of the will of other classes), or popular politics (representative politics)?” and most people chose popular politics. So, I notice on Korean sites discussing this poll, people are saying this proves that what people meant by “socialism” here was just liberal democracy because people didn’t choose “class dictatorship (not related to the will of other classes)”.

In a different poll, which I have not verified the details of yet, it appears that the majority of people wanted the country to be called the “People’s Republic of Korea” and not “Republic of Korea.”

And finally, in 1950, there is a CIA report that states “over 50% of Seoul’s students are actively aiding the Communist invaders, with many voluntarily enlisting in the Northern Army” and that among Seoul’s population, “the working class generally supports the Northern Koreans, while merchants are neutral and the intelligentsia continue to be pro-Southern,” adding that the streets of Seoul were “crowded […] with youths engaging in Communist demonstrations.” So, given that this was the situation in Seoul in 1950, I’m inclined to believe that when people picked “socialism” on that 1946 poll, many of them did actually mean socialism–as in the construction phase of communism, while there definitely were people who just meant liberalism/capitalism with some social welfare ideas attached as well.

I haven’t dug deep into the political lines of the leftists in the South during this time and the nature of their relationship with the peasantry, national bourgeoisie, etc. so I imagine that will also illuminate the issue as I get to know more about their specific lines and their own assessments of the people’s viewpoints at the time. I have however researched a fair bit about the mass murder of civilians that took place in the 1940s in order to install & keep the unpopular right-wing regime afloat in the South, in the face of mass resistance, however. Which, again, causes me to doubt assertions that “socialism” in this poll just means “capitalism with welfare” as I see some people arguing.