A majority of Taiwanese are dissatisfied with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) performance, with only 33 percent saying they are satisfied, a poll in the Chinese-language Global Views magazine showed yesterday.
The poll, conducted by the Global Views Survey Research Center, found 56.6 percent of respondents were not satisfied with Ma’s performance, up 4.6 percent from last month. Only 32.9 percent said they were satisfied with his performance, representing a 2.1 percent decrease.
The drop in Ma’s approval ratings was attributed to a series of blunders by his administration, including a controversial Council of Grand Justices nomination, its evasive position on the fate of the planned Kuokuang Petrochemical Park project and public doubt on the safety of nuclear power plants.
Although Ma’s level of trust grew 1.1 percent this month, it was still below 50 percent at 43.5 percent. The level of distrust dropped for the first time this year, but the decrease was marginal. As a result, Ma’s trust level was 43.5 percent against a distrust level of 42.6 percent.
On the performance of the -Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the poll showed that 56.3 percent of respondents said they were unhappy with the ruling party, which holds about 70 percent of the legislative seats, against 24.9 percent who said they were satisfied.
The figures represented a 2.4 percent decrease and 3 percent increase respectively.
Pollsters said the 3 percent growth in the satisfaction level could be related to the passage of the luxury tax, which is expected to come into force this summer.
The administration said it hoped the new tax would help rein in soaring housing prices, especially in Taipei.
The KMT’s approval ratings have hovered at about 20 percent since legislators began their current term in 2008.
On preferences for independence or unification, the poll found that 41.1 percent preferred the “status quo.” The number of respondents who favored independence stood at 27 percent, against 7.5 percent who were for unification with China and 12.4 percent who preferred a perpetual “status quo.”
Those choosing eventual independence — 49.3 percent — also exceeded those preferring eventual unification, at 15.7.
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