TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation poll released Tuesday showed the public was divided on President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) response to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
TPOF found that while a vast majority of Taiwanese do not support Trump’s tariffs, 44% support Lai’s response, while 41% oppose them. The general attitude toward the tariffs is overwhelmingly negative, with 81.9% saying the policy is unreasonable and 86.4% foreseeing a major impact.
Additionally, 49% support Premier Cho Jung-tai’s (卓榮泰) NT$88 billion (US$2.7 billion) support package for Taiwan’s industry and agriculture. Meanwhile, 42% of respondents said they were satisfied with Cho’s Cabinet, and 46% reported dissatisfaction.
The poll focused on 15 questions ranging from the tariff policy to the recall campaign. The results are as follows:
1. Attitude toward Trump’s new tariff policy
Question: Generally speaking, do you think President Trump’s new tariff policy is reasonable?
Results: 0.8% very reasonable, 6.8% somewhat reasonable, 37% not very reasonable, 44.9% not at all reasonable, 7.7% no opinion, 2.9% don’t know/refused.
2. Impact of Trump’s Tariff Policy on Taiwan’s Economy
Question: “How much impact do you think Trump’s new tariff policy will have on Taiwan’s overall economy?”
Results: 62.9% very large, 23.5% fairly large, 8.4% not very large, 0.6% not at all large, 3.1% no opinion, 1.6% don’t know/refused.
3. President’s response to US tariffs
Question: Do you support Lai’s response of not retaliating with tariffs and maintaining investment commitments to the US?
Results: 14.3% strongly support, 29.6% somewhat support, 20.4% somewhat oppose, 20.4% strongly oppose, 12% no opinion, 3.2% don’t know/refused.
4. Opinion on Premier Cho Jung-tai’s Cabinet response
Question: Do you approve of Premier Cho’s NT$88 billion support plan for industry and agriculture?
Results: 12.8% strongly approve, 36.6% somewhat approve, 23.7% somewhat disapprove, 15.5% strongly disapprove, 8.1% no opinion, 3.5% don’t know/refused.
5. Confidence in the US under Trump
Question: Do you think the US under Trump is still a reliable partner for Taiwan?
Results: 6.2% very reliable, 25.2% somewhat reliable, 31.6% not very reliable, 25.6% not at all reliable, 9% no opinion, 2.5% don’t know/refused.
6. General trust in the US
Question: Do you agree that the US is more trustworthy than China in any situation?
Results: 26.1% strongly agree, 23.1% somewhat agree, 20.5% somewhat disagree, 22.5% strongly disagree, 5.8% no opinion, 1.9% don’t know/refused.
7. Attitude toward Ker Chien-ming’s (柯建銘) recall initiative
Question: Do you support Ker Chien-ming’s proposal to recall all 41 KMT legislators?
Results: 20.1% strongly support, 13.7% somewhat support, 22.2% somewhat oppose, 37.1% strongly oppose, 5.2% no opinion, 1.7% don’t know/refused.
8. Likelihood of participating in second-stage recall petitions
Question: If you were a voter in the relevant district, would you participate in the second-stage recall petition?
Results: 24.1% very likely, 15.5% somewhat likely, 20.1% not very likely, 36.4% not at all likely, 3% no opinion, 0.9% don’t know.
9. Attitude toward stopping the mass recall
Question: Do you agree that the DPP should immediately stop the mass recall in light of global changes?
Results: 32.9% strongly agree, 17.1% somewhat agree, 19.3% somewhat disagree, 24% strongly disagree, 5.9% no opinion, 0.8% don’t know/refused.
10. Attitude toward Lai’s designation of China as a hostile foreign force
Question: Do you agree with Lai’s statement that China is a hostile foreign force to Taiwan?
Results: 28.7% strongly agree, 20.4% somewhat agree, 22.2% strongly disagree, 6% no opinion, 2.3% don’t know/refused.
11. Attitude toward restoring the military court system
Question: Do you support restoring the military court system to counter Chinese infiltration and espionage?
Results: 37.6% strongly support, 27.7% somewhat support, 12.5% somewhat oppose, 13.2% strongly oppose, 6.3% no opinion, 2.7% don’t know/refused.
12. Attitude toward the Yaya Case
Question: Do you support the government’s handling of the Yaya Case (deportation of a Chinese spouse influencer for advocating armed reunification)?
Results: 46% strongly support, 21.5% somewhat support, 14.8% somewhat oppose, 11.3% strongly oppose, 4.1% no opinion, 2.4% don’t know/refused.
13. President Lai Ching-te’s approval rating
Question: Do you approve of Lai’s handling of national affairs?
Results: 16.4% strongly approve, 29.5% somewhat approve, 24.2% somewhat disapprove, 21.5% strongly disapprove, 7.1% no opinion, 1.4% don’t know/refused.
14. Public satisfaction with Premier Cho’s Cabinet
Question: Are you satisfied with Premier Cho’s Cabinet performance?
Results: 12% very satisfied, 29.5% somewhat satisfied, 25.9% somewhat dissatisfied, 20.5% very dissatisfied, 8.9% no opinion, 3.2% don’t know/refused.
15. Party support
Results: 38% support the DPP, 19% support the KMT, 14% support the TPP, 2.9% support the New Power Party, 0.9% other small parties, 25% neutral.
TPOF Chair You Ying-lung (游盈隆) designed and analyzed the survey. Fieldwork, including sampling design, telephone interviews, and statistical analysis, was conducted by Shanshui Public Opinion Research Company, commissioned by the foundation.
The survey was conducted from April 7 to 9, targeting adults aged 20 and above across Taiwan. There were 1,080 valid samples (758 landline, 322 mobile), with a sampling error of ±2.98% at a 95% confidence level.
