Taiwan's public is torn between economic development and environmental protection when the two issues are in conflict, according to the results of a recent government-sponsored survey released yesterday.
A majority of the respondents -- 80.7 percent -- said that they believe the problem of Taiwan's environmental pollution is "very serious" or "rather serious."
Only 9.5 percent said that they don't think it is "too serious," while 1.2 percent said that the problem is "not serious at all." The remaining 8.6 percent either did not have an opinion or refused to answer.
When presented with the dilemma of economic development directly conflicting with environmental protection, 35.2 percent of respondents said that they would choose the environment over the economy, while 38 percent chose development.
Thirteen percent of those surveyed said that they would support both equally, while the remaining 13.8 percent did not have an opinion or refused to answer.
On the preservation of nature, 42.3 percent of respondents said that they would place priority on preservation as opposed to economic development, while 34 percent said they would give economic development higher priority.
Just over 8 percent said that they value both equally, and the remaining 15.3 percent did not have an opinion or refused to answer.
The survey also revealed that 45.1 percent of respondents are satisfied with the government's efforts over the past year in its handling of environmental protection, while 33.9 percent said that they are not satisfied.
The Research, Development and Evaluation Commission conducted a random telephone poll from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13, querying people 20 years of age and older. An effective sample of 1,138 people was taken while another 344 people refused to be interviewed. The sampling margin of error was plus or minus 2.9 percent.
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