Most Taiwanese are upset about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration’s cross-strait and economic performance, a survey published yesterday showed.
The poll, which focused on public perception of the DPP and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), was commissioned by the Taiwan Competitiveness Forum, whose members include former People First Party legislator Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國) and KMT member Hsieh Ming-hui (謝明輝).
More than half of respondents said that the DPP administration does worse than the KMT government when it comes to foreign relations, and 61.7 percent said that cross-strait relations have deteriorated since the DPP assumed power, the survey showed.
As for the economy, 48.8 percent said that it has worsened, while 33.7 percent said that there is little difference between the DPP’s and the KMT’s performance.
Without endorsing the so-called “1992 consensus” and the concept that people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait are “one family,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would not be able to improve the nation’s foreign relations and economic development, Pang said.
The “1992 consensus”— a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Public dissatisfaction with Tsai’s performance reached 64.1 percent, increasing by 3.8 percentage points from a February poll, while dissatisfaction with Premier William Lai’s (賴清德) performance rose 6.4 points to 47.5 percent, Hsieh said.
While Tsai has encouraged government officials to show humility, nearly 40 percent of respondents said that the ruling party has not demonstrated more tolerance for social dissent than the KMT, Hsieh added.
Asked which party they supported, 23.1 percent said the KMT and 14.6 percent chose the DPP, while more than half of respondents had no preference, he said.
The KMT appears to be gaining territory ahead of the Nov. 24 local elections, Hsieh added.
The survey, conducted from July 22 to July 24 by Taiwan Real Survey Co, collected 1,083 valid samples via telephone interviews and had a margin of error of 2.98 percentage points.
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