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Taiwanese teens give themselves 'D' on global outlook

Language barrier cited as top reason for Taiwan students’ lack of international view, cultural incompetence named as second

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Taiwanese teenagers not satisifed with own international perspective. (Pixabay photo)

Taiwanese teenagers not satisifed with own international perspective. (Pixabay photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A recent poll conducted by King Car Cultural & Education Foundation found that Taiwanese teenagers are dissatisfied with their own international outlook and attribute this pessimism to their unfamiliarity with foreign languages.

During a press conference on Tuesday (June 23), the nonprofit released the results of its survey on the international outlook of Taiwanese teenagers. According to the poll, the students surveyed graded their own global perspective, giving themselves a score of 64.1 percent a decline of 3.7 percent from last year.

More than 59 percent of students in Taiwan believe that the language barrier is responsible for a limited global view, while 47 percent said their inability to understand foreign cultures is the biggest obstacle to fostering an international mindset. Approximately 34 percent of those surveyed also indicated that not having lived abroad prevented them from becoming more international-minded.

When asked what they believed to be the most important global issue, 61.1 percent of teenagers selected health, while 45.8 percent chose climate change. More than 40 percent also believed Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) would enhance its global reputation and recognition.

In regard to their ideal foreign country to move to, close to 52 percent of the students answered Japan, while 38.6 percent preferred the U.S. Meanwhile, 62.6 percent viewed Japan as the friendliest nation to Taiwan.

King Car Foundation Executive Director Joyce Tseng (曾清芸) emphasized that international outlook is a skill that requires reading foreign news and other content daily. Besides overseas travel, she said exposure to information outside of Taiwan is also beneficial to enhancing one's knowledge of different cultures, reported CNA.

King Car Cultural & Education Foundation conducted the questionnaire among primary and secondary school students in April and gathered 6,018 valid responses. The poll has a 97 percent confidence rating and a 3 percent margin of error.