Better Poll Questions Needed
Experts have long lamented the lack of accurate, impartial and useful polling data regarding the identity of the Taiwanese and the kind of cross-strait relationship they prefer. Even casual observers recognize that the limited polling information has been filtered through the ideological biases of the nation's myriad contending camps.
While many consumers of polling data are savvy enough to neutralize the ubiquitous spin, even many spin-free polling results lack explanatory power because poll questions have been poorly constructed. On the question of Taiwanese identity, pollsters typically ask, "Are you Taiwanese, Chinese or both?" And on the question of cross-strait ties, the pollsters ask, "Do you favor independence, unification, or the status quo."
Better questions would probably produce more complete and meaningful answers. On the question of identity, pollsters could ask a series of questions: Are you a hua ren? Are you a han zu? Are you a zhong guo ren? Are you a taiwan ren? Are you a yuan zhu min? If so from which tribe? Are you a hoklo or a hakka? Are you a wai sheng ren? If so, which sheng do you most identify with? Do your parents belong to more than one of these groups? If so, which ones?
On the question of cross-strait ties, pollsters could ask respondents to answer "yes," "no," or "maybe" to the following questions: Is Taiwan part of China? If not, should it be? Is Taiwan part of the Republic of China? If not, should it be? Is Taiwan part of the People's Republic of China? If not, should it be? Is Taiwan already independent? If not, should it be?
I suspect we would learn that most respondents view themselves as hua ren (culturally Chinese) or han zu (ethnic Chinese) but perhaps not as zhong guo ren (Chinese by nationality). We might also discover that most respondents see themselves as simultaneously Taiwan ren (Taiwanese) and also as yuan zhu min (indigenous folk), or hoklo or hakka or wai sheng ren, and that most respondents are descended from more than one of these last four "sub-ethnic" groups.
In addition, I suspect some respondents would say that Taiwan is part of China or the Republic of China, but virtually no one would say that Taiwan is or should be part of the People's Republic of China.
But what good is conjecture? To better understand the cultural, ethnic and political complexities of Taiwan, we need reliable, accurate, and illuminating data. We need better polling questions. How about this one: "Under what conditions would you ever freely consent to Taiwan's unification with the PRC?"
The answers to that one might raise an eyebrow or two in Washington and Beijing.
Jon Welch
Clifton, Virginia
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under