TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than half of Taiwanese voters are in favor of changing the party in control of the presidency and Executive Yuan ahead of January’s presidential election, according to a poll released on Sunday (Oct. 13) by the Democracy Foundation.
The poll, conducted between Oct. 5 and Oct. 10 on behalf of Apollo Marketing Research, found that 53.4% of respondents would like to see a different party in control of the executive branch. In contrast, 24.5% of respondents favor the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) remaining in power for another four years under candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德), while 22.1% said “I don’t know” or refused to provide an answer.
For another question, respondents were asked which of the three main candidates is least capable of maintaining cross-strait peace and security. Respondents indicated that their confidence is lowest in the DPP’s Lai, who received 37.6%.
While 34.7% of respondents indicated they were unsure, 15.3% said Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) would be least capable and 12.3% said that the Kuomintang’s (KMT) Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) would be least well-suited to maintain peace between Taiwan and China.
The Democracy Foundation, which is considered a pan-blue organization, also polled citizens on their opinions about the potential cooperation between KMT and TPP presidential campaigns.
When asked which of the candidates, Hou or Ko, is best suited to lead a combined presidential ticket, 31.3% of respondents were in favor of Hou leading the ticket with Ko as vice president. In contrast, 26.7% of respondents favored Ko to lead an integrated presidential campaign.
Only 3.3% of respondents said that either combination would be acceptable. Further, 9.3% said that cooperation between the blue and white camps of the KMT and TPP is not possible, while 29.4% said they were unsure or offered no response.
The Democracy Foundation poll was conducted by phone interview with people over the age of 20 using landlines and mobile phones, with a confidence level of 95%. The results are based on the responses of 1,075 individuals, with 676 interviewed on landline phones and 399 on mobile phones, with a potential sampling error of plus or minus 3%.
