More than half of the public think the Cabinet lacks the political will to carry out reform, a survey by a Cabinet agency showed on Friday.
The survey, conducted by the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission on June 23 and June 24, asked whether the Executive Yuan had shown determination in carrying out reforms. A total of 51.4 percent of respondents said “No,” 33.7 percent gave a positive answer and 14.9 percent had no opinion.
Compared with a survey conducted by the commission in June last year, the percentage of respondents who were dissatisfied with the Executive Yuan's determination to advance reform rose by 16.1 percentage points, while those who approved of the Cabinet's performance dropped by 4 percentage points.
The survey also found a higher number of respondents were dissatisfied with the Cabinet's performance in terms of administrative efficiency, its ability to deal with a crisis and attention to public opinion.
The Cabinet, however, earned more favorable reviews for its efforts to boost the economy (52.1 percent of respondents), care for the environment (51.2 percent), emphasizing culture and education (58.1 percent), as well as promoting government integrity, democracy and the rule of law (59.9 percent).
Asked whether the Executive Yuan had showed consideration for disadvantaged people and uphold justice and fairness, 45 percent of respondents said “yes,” 43.1 percent said “no” and 11.9 percent had no opinion.
The survey showed 76.7 percent of the public thought the Cabinet had helped improve cross-strait ties, which topped all categories, while 12 percent held the opposite view.
Meanwhile, a similar survey conducted by the commission a month ago showed President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) approval rating slipping to 52.4 percent from 54.7 percent. Ma's disapproval rating rose from 35.1 percent to 37.2 percent during the period.
The latest survey also showed that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan's (劉兆玄) approval rating rose to 47.6 percent from 45.6 percent a month ago, but his disapproval rating also edged up to 39.5 percent, from 39.1 percent.
A total of 1,129 samples were collected in the poll.
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