TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A survey conducted by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) found that 66% of Taiwanese respondents agree that the country’s military should shoot down any Chinese spy balloon that enters Taiwan’s airspace.

In contrast, only 19% of respondents disagreed with the proposition. The question asked by the survey was “If a Chinese spy balloon enters Taiwan’s airspace, should the nation’s military do as the U.S. military, and shoot down the object?”

The results of the survey, released on Friday (Feb. 17), follow the news of Chinese spy balloons reported over North and Central America in recent weeks. While a majority of respondents agreed that Chinese spy balloons should be shot down, 14% of respondents expressed uncertainty, with 7% saying they did not know, and another 7% saying they had no opinion on the matter.

The survey was conducted among adults over 20 years of age, over the course of two days, from Feb. 13 to Feb. 14. The sample included 1,072 respondents. The survey’s margin of error is approximately 2.99%, reported SETN.



According to the survey’s analysis, the percentage of those who disagreed with the proposition was highest among younger respondents. The percentage of those expressing disagreement decreased with age.

Among those 20-24 years of age, 31% disagreed with shooting down a Chinese spy balloon. Among those 25-34 years of age, that number decreased to 23%, while among respondents 35 and older, only 18% disagreed with shooting down a spy balloon in Taiwan’s airspace.

Another interesting aspect of the survey was related to political party affiliation. Among supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party, 86% agreed the balloon should be shot down, while only 8.9% disagreed. For supporters of the Kuomintang, 53% agreed the balloon should be shot down, while 31% expressed disagreement.

Soon after the survey was completed, on Thursday (Feb. 16), wreckage from a Chinese weather balloon came down on the Taiwanese island of Dongyin, which further heightened concern over the issue of potential aerial spying by China.