More than half of Taiwanese are confident in the nation’s self-defense capabilities, and about 73 percent are willing to fight in the event of war, a poll in the latest edition of the Defense Security Journal found.
The poll in the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s (INDSR) biweekly journal was part of an article by INDSR researcher Lee Kuan-chen (李冠成), in which Lee said that Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself has never wavered.
While the March poll found that about 73 percent of Taiwanese would fight for their nation in the event of a Chinese invasion, a similar poll in September last year found that about 75 percent would.
Photo: Military News Agency
In the September poll, about 58 percent of the respondents expressed confidence in the military’s self-defense capabilities, while the figure dropped to about 54 percent in the March poll.
While there was a dip in respondents’ confidence, it was within the poll’s margin of error, the report said, adding the March results indicated Russia’s war in Ukraine has not dampened Taiwanese’s determination to defend their nation.
The public’s positive response to the military’s most recent reservist training program and growing support for extending the mandatory service period was also high, demonstrating that people are resolved to defend their country, Lee said.
The greatest impact the Ukraine war had was on the public’s belief that the US would send troops to help defend Taiwan, Lee said.
About 57 percent of respondents in the September poll answered “certainly” or “maybe” in response to the question: “Will the US send troops to help Taiwan in the event of a war across the Taiwan Strait?” That figure dropped to 40 percent in the March poll.
Lee said that this indicates a more reserved attitude toward the possibility of assistance from friendly nations.
The survey showed that, under the condition that the US would send troops to help Taiwan, about 95 percent of those who are confident in the nation’s defensive capabilities would be willing to fight, whereas among those who expressed a lack of confidence in the military’s self-defense capabilities, only 65 percent would fight.
Under the condition that the US would not send troops to help Taiwan, about 89.8 percent of those confident in the nation’s self-defense capabilities would fight for their nation, while 60 percent of those lacking confidence would fight.
Lee’s study showed that regardless of US military assistance, believing in Taiwan’s military capabilities correlates with a willingness to fight for the nation.
Lee said that confidence in Taiwan’s military is crucial in influencing the public’s spirit of resistence.
The March poll was conducted by National Chengchi University from March 9 to 13, targeting individuals aged 20 or older.
The poll received 1,080 valid samples, with 756 interviews conducted via landline and 324 via cellphones, and has a margin of error of 2.98 percent, with a 95 percent level of confidence.
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Friday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
FORCED LABOR: A US court listed three Taiwanese and nine firms based in Taiwan in its indictment, with eight of the companies registered at the same address Nine companies registered in Taiwan, as well as three Taiwanese, on Tuesday were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) as a result of a US federal court indictment. The indictment unsealed at the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, said that Chen Zhi (陳志), a dual Cambodian-British national, is being indicted for fraud conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding Group’s forced-labor scam camps in Cambodia. At its peak, the company allegedly made US$30 million per day, court documents showed. The US government has seized Chen’s noncustodial wallet, which contains
SUPPLY CHAIN: Taiwan’s advantages in the drone industry include rapid production capacity that is independent of Chinese-made parts, the economic ministry said The Executive Yuan yesterday approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion (US$1.44 billion) into domestic production of uncrewed aerial vehicles over the next six years, bringing Taiwan’s output value to more than NT$40 billion by 2030 and making the nation Asia’s democratic hub for the drone supply chain. The proposed budget has NT$33.8 billion in new allocations and NT$10.43 billion in existing funds, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Under the new development program, the public sector would purchase nearly 100,000 drones, of which 50,898 would be for civil and government use, while 48,750 would be for national defense, it said. The Ministry of
SENATE RECOMMENDATION: The National Defense Authorization Act encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s navy to participate in the exercises in Hawaii The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan. The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against. While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US
RSS