A Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation poll has shown that the approval ratings for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier William Lai (賴清德) hit a new low following last month’s nine-in-one elections, foundation chairman You Ying-lung (游盈隆) said yesterday, adding that if he were elected party chairman, he would make sure the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) understood what the public wants and met the needs of Taiwanese.
The poll, conducted last week, showed that Tsai’s approval rating dropped from 28.5 percent last month to 24.3 percent this month, while Lai’s slid from 38.9 percent last month to 37.1 percent this month, You told a news conference in Taipei.
Their approval ratings are the lowest since taking office, You said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Asked whether they approve of Tsai’s handling of cross-strait relations, 25.3 percent of the respondents said they did, compared with 65.7 percent who said they did not, he added.
The poll asked respondents to rate the warmth of their feelings toward Tsai and Lai — as well as Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral-elect Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and New Taipei City mayor-elect Hou You-yi (侯友宜) — on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being the coldest and 100 the warmest.
The results showed that respondents feel the warmest toward Ko, who received an average rating of 65.81 percent, followed by Han (62.12 percent) and Hou (59.79 percent), and the coldest toward Lai (53.81 percent) and Tsai (42.98 percent).
The poll showed that 27.5 percent of the respondents support the DPP, while 35.6 percent support the KMT and 32 percent reported being independent or politically neutral.
“The results show that the KMT has fully recovered from its bruising defeat in the 2016 [legislative and presidential] elections, while the DPP has slid back to where it was 10 years ago,” You said.
If he were elected DPP chairman, he would “ensure that the party and government sufficiently understood public opinion” so that they could “quickly meet people’s needs and expectations,” You said, adding that Tsai’s biggest mistake was being “blind” to public opinion.
He would also rebuild the party’s image, change its policy priorities and decisionmaking styles, he said.
“The party’s ideology and ways of handling cross-strait relations must evolve with time,” You said.
Tsai’s “status quo” policy makes people fearful and anxious when cross-strait tensions mount, he added.
“I believe the party should hold debates on cross-strait relations so that members can share their concerns, feelings and constructive feedback, which, as an initial step, would definitely bring about positive change,” he said.
The telephone-based poll was based on 1,082 valid samples collected on Monday and Tuesday last week, with responses weighted to fit the population profile. It has a margin of error of 2.98 percentage points.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS