TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foxconn Technology founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) is not enjoying a honeymoon with voters, as just days after announcing his presidential bid, a Mirror News opinion poll published Wednesday (Aug. 30) ranked him fourth and last.
Following Gou’s campaign launch on Monday (Aug. 28), Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) suffered the biggest impact, seeing his level of support cut by 5%, the poll found. Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stayed ahead with a considerable lead.
In the poll conducted Aug. 27-28, Lai received 33.4% of the vote, Ko 22.7%, Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) 15.3%, and Gou 12.9%, leaving 15.7% undecided. If Gou was not included, Lai would lead with 34.3%, Ko would receive 27.1%, and Hou 16.2%, with 22.4% undecided.
The tycoon’s independent presidential bid found approval with 36.6% of poll respondents, with 44.7% opposing him joining the race. Disapproval of his campaign was the strongest among KMT voters, with 65.8% saying he should not run in the Jan. 13, 2024 election.
The poll also asked for opinions about different combinations, with 42.3% expressing support for a TPP and a KMT candidate joining forces on one ticket, and 35.8% opposed. If Hou headed the ticket with Ko as the vice-presidential candidate, they would receive 30% of the votes, but with the TPP leader as the main candidate flanked by Hou, the ticket would win 37.8%.
If Ko worked with Gou instead, they would receive 34.5% with the TPP chair as the presidential candidate, and 29.4% if the tech tycoon headed the ticket, according to the poll.
DADI Survey Research Co., Ltd. conducted the opinion poll on behalf of Mirror News Aug. 27-28, receiving 1,083 valid responses with a margin of error of 2.98%.
