The number of people who refer to themselves as “Taiwanese,” as well as those who support Taiwanese independence, have hit historic highs, according to a survey by National Chengchi University.
The university’s Election Study Center poll showed that 60.6 percent of respondents regard themselves as Taiwanese, while 23.9 percent support Taiwanese independence.
The poll was 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, a collation of results gathered last month, showed that the number of people self-identifying as Taiwanese has skyrocketed from 17.6 percent in 1992.
The results also showed a record-low of 32.5 percent of respondents who identified themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese, down from 47.7 percent in 2004, while 3.5 percent said they consider themselves to be Chinese, down from 26.2 percent in 1994.
The results over the years show a continual upward trend in the number of people self-identifying as Taiwanese, with a major hike to 34 percent in 1996 when the first direct presidential election took place and a mark of more than 40 percent after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government took office in 2000.
The figure soared to 50 percent in 2009 and to 60 percent last year amid extensive exchanges between Taiwan and China following the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) return to power in 2008.
Meanwhile, the number of respondents identifying themselves as Chinese was more than 20 percent in 1992; was first exceeded by the number who self-identified as Taiwanese in 1995; fell to less than 10 percent during the DPP administration from 2000 and 2008; and dropped to less than 5 percent after the KMT returned to power in 2008, the center said.
The latest survey showed that 18 percent of respondents said they would like to see the “status quo” maintained in cross-strait relations, while 5.9 percent said they would prefer an immediate declaration of independence. Both numbers represent a small increase from levels seen two years ago.
The survey showed that respondents supporting unification with China dropped to 9.2 percent, down 1.9 percentage points from last year.
Support for the DPP reached 26.7 percent at the end of last year, more than the 26 percent support the party garnered in 2000 when former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was in office, while support for the KMT was 22.9 percent, a low not seen since 2004.
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said the survey shows that China’s hostility is driving Taiwanese away, as Beijing has never ceased suppressing the nation, despite the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) being accommodating toward Beijing.
The Ma administration should stop making policies that cater to Beijing’s needs, Lee said.
While support has risen for the DPP and dropped for the KMT, 45 percent of respondents said they are neutral or indifferent in terms of party preference, Lee said, adding that the results indicate a lack of trust in any parties by the public.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft