Forty-seven percent of people in the US consider tensions between Taiwan and China a “very serious problem” for their country, while 66 percent said they view Taiwan positively, a Pew Research Center poll showed.
A report by the US-based think tank was released on Wednesday last week, comparing the latest survey to data collected in previous years.
Asked to “indicate how much of a problem, if at all, tensions between China and Taiwan would be for the US,” 47 percent of respondents choose “very serious problem,” up from 35 percent in the spring of last year, and 28 percent in 2021, the report said.
Photo: AFP
Combined with those who answered “a somewhat serious problem,” more than 80 percent of respondents show some level of concern about cross-strait tensions, compared with about 60 percent before 2018, Pew said.
In 2017 and 2018, only 22 percent of US respondents said that cross-strait tensions are a “very serious problem” for the US, it added.
The survey showed that about two-thirds of respondents view Taiwan positively, with 11 percent expressing a “very favorable” opinion and 54 percent a “somewhat favorable” view of Taiwan.
Among US residents who view Taiwan favorably, 55 percent said cross-strait tensions are “a very serious problem” for the US, while 32 percent of those who view Taiwan negatively provided the same response.
Men viewed Taiwan more favorably than women, at 73 percent versus 58 percent, while those older than 65 have the most positive view of Taiwan among all age groups, at 72 percent, Pew said.
US respondents with higher education levels have a more positive image of Taiwan, with 76 percent of college graduates and 79 percent of postgraduates viewing the nation favorably, compared with about 60 percent of those with lower education levels, the report said.
The survey was conducted from March 20 to March 26 and collected 3,576 valid samples, claiming a 2 percentage margin of error.
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