An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese, 71.5 percent, think that Taiwan should compete in international competitions under the name “Taiwan,” a Taiwan Brain Trust survey published yesterday showed.
Referring to Taiwan’s victory last month at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12, the survey results showed that 89.1 percent of respondents said that Taiwan’s exceptional performance in sporting competitions furthers national unity.
Only 18.8 percent of respondents supported Taiwanese teams’ continued use of the name “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting competitions, the survey showed.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Among Taiwan’s leading political parties, the name “Team Taiwan” was supported by 91.1 percent of self-identified Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters, 56.1 percent of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) supporters and 47.9 percent of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supporters.
Asked whether the government should endorse the name change, 79.6 percent of respondents said it should, compared with 96.8 percent of DPP supporters, 65.8 percent of TPP supporters and 67.1 percent of KMT supporters, the poll showed.
Regarding Taiwan’s future sporting achievements, 88.1 percent of respondents, including 85 percent of people who said they support one of the nation’s three main political parties, said they were optimistic.
The survey results clearly show that sporting achievements and national identity are closely intertwined, can unite Taiwan and give a shared sense of pride, while bridging ideological differences across the Taiwan Strait, Foundation on East Asia Peace Studies chief executive officer Tung Li-wen (董立文) said.
The public’s interest in Taiwanese baseball would give the government some important considerations regarding its sports policies and instill confidence in President William Lai’s (賴清德) proposed establishment of a Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, Tung Li-wen said.
The survey also showed that 67.8 percent of respondents said they identified as Taiwanese, 1.5 percentage points higher than when the question was asked in June.
Asked to choose one identity, Taiwanese or Chinese, 83.3 percent said they identify as Taiwanese and 8.4 percent as Chinese, while 8.3 percent did not choose.
Additionally, 1.5 percent of respondents said they were only Chinese and 27.2 percent said they were both, it showed.
Regarding cross-strait relations, 41.5 percent of respondents said they were optimistic, a 2.7 percentage point increase; 41.3 percent said they were not optimistic, an 8.6 percentage point decrease; and 17.2 percent did not choose either one, the survey showed.
The increase in “Taiwanese” self-identification and decrease in “Chinese” self-identification could be interpreted as a sign of national identity consolidation, Tung said.
Regarding politics, 42 percent of respondents said they supported the DPP, compared with 18.5 percent for the KMT and 11.5 percent for the TPP, all of which showed slight decreases compared with the survey in June.
Fifty-three points two percent of respondents said they were satisfied with Lai’s performance, 26.7 percent said they were dissatisfied and 20.1 percent had no definite opinion, the survey showed.
The highest levels of satisfaction with Lai came from DPP voters, women, those aged 40 or older, and those who live in Tainan, and Yunlin and Chiayi counties.
Dissatisfaction was highest in Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, and among men, 20 to 39 year olds, and those who possess specialized degrees, Taiwan Brain Trust chief executive officer Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) said.
Men, those aged 40 or older, people with college degrees and those who live in Taichung, and Nantou and Changhua counties all expressed higher levels of support for the KMT, he added.
The survey was conducted between Dec. 8 and Monday last week through telephone interviews, using a survey pool of people aged 20 or older. It collected 1,081 valid samples and had a margin of error of 2.98 percentage points.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS