The latest poll by National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center showed a record-low 9.1 percent of respondents support unification with China, and a record-low 3.3 percent regard themselves as Chinese.
The poll is part of a study that has been ongoing since 1992 on political attitudes, including on the unification-independence issue, national identity and political party preference.
The latest figures, gathered last month, showed that 59 percent of respondents identify themselves as Taiwanese, a slight drop from 60.6 percent in December last year.
The poll found 33.7 percent of respondents said they are both Taiwanese and Chinese, increasing slightly from 32.5 percent last year, and those identifying themselves as solely Chinese dropped to a historical low of 3.3 percent.
The poll found 21.1 percent of respondents said they support Taiwanese independence or would favor an immediate declaration of independence, lower than 23.9 percent last year.
The number of people who support unification or lean toward immediate unification reached a historical low of 9.1 percent.
Support for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has risen from 26.7 percent last year to a record-high 29.7 percent, while support for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) dropped from 22.9 percent last year to 21 percent, its lowest since 2003.
Support for the People First Party increased from 2.7 percent last year to 3.9 percent this year, the highest since 2006.
Saying that the data showed the long-term tendency of Taiwanese core attitudes and identifications, DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said the percentage of people who identify themselves as Taiwanese has soared from 48.4 percent in 2008 to 59 percent this year due to a series of pro-China policies launched by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) since he took office in 2008.
The number of people who regard themselves as Chinese has fallen from 4 percent in 2008 to 3.3 percent this year and has yet to hit the bottom, which shows that the Taiwanese do not want Taiwan to be a part of China, Lee said.
Support for the KMT has plummeted from the historical high of 39.5 percent in 2011 to 21 percent this year, while support for the DPP has steadily climbed from 19.5 percent in 2009 to 29.7 percent this year, he said.
The rise and fall are the results of the KMT’s poor performance and the DPP’s ability to put forward clear policies and define the direction of reform, such as the proposal of developing renewable resources to bring about a nuclear-free homeland and an elaborated platform of the long-term care to provide for the aging population, he said.
However, the KMT and the Ma administration have turned their backs on public opinion, which is evident in a forceful implementation of a set of high-school curriculum guidelines that critics said are unprofessional and historically incorrect, while the government insists on pressing charges against students who stormed the headquarters of the Ministry of Education in Taipei on Thursday to protest against the curriculum, Lee said.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS