TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A new US poll shows Republican support for defending Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion has dropped sharply since Donald Trump returned to office, while Democratic backing has remained steady.

Each year, the think tank Institute for Global Affairs asks Americans whether they would support the US sending troops to defend Taiwan if it were attacked. In this year's survey, overall support fell from 40% to 35%, while opposition rose from 21% to 28%.

Since Trump’s return to office, Republican support has declined by 10 percentage points from 45% to 35%. Opposition among Republicans has climbed from about 20% to 33%.

Democratic support has held steady at around 44-45%, with 24% opposed. Democrats are now 10 points more supportive of Taiwan’s defense than Republicans, reversing the 2024 trend when Republicans were slightly more hawkish (45% vs. 44%).

Among Independents, only 33% favor defending Taiwan, while 31% are opposed. The largest share, at 36%, remains unsure whether the US should intervene.

A plurality of Americans are uncertain about defending Taiwan (36%). A nearly equal share supports doing so (35%).

Poland received the highest level of support for defense at 43%, led by Democrats at 56% and Republicans at 36%. Israel was the only country a plurality of Americans opposed defending at 38%, compared to 33% who support it.

The survey found Trump's net approval rating for his handling of China tensions is his worst-rated foreign policy issue (-38%), with 24% of Republicans saying he's handling US-China relations poorly. Overall, 54% of Americans think Trump has made US-China ties worse, with Democrats giving him a net approval rating of -83%, Independents -45%, and Republicans +12%. 

The poll was distributed online by YouGov to a sample of 1,000 adults in the US between Oct. 6-14 with a margin of error of ±3.4%. The purpose of the survey was to assess American public opinion toward US foreign policy nine months into Trump's second term.