TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A World United Formosans for Independence poll released Monday shows 90% of Taiwanese have an unfavorable impression of China and a similar share oppose unification.
The survey found that pro-DPP identification is more common than pro-KMT, per Liberty Times. It showed 45% believe the government should pursue diplomatic relations with the US, and 11.9% have a favorable view of China.
It also showed that 44.3% favor independence and 10.7% support unification. If the status quo in the Taiwan Strait becomes untenable, 61% would favor independence and 21.8% would support unification.
WUFI Chair Richard Chen (陳南天) said this is the sixth year that the organization and the Taiwan Security Association have surveyed Taiwan–US diplomatic relations. The results over the years show that establishing diplomatic ties with the US under the name Taiwan, forming a military alliance with the US, and joining international organizations under the name Taiwan all enjoy strong consensus among Taiwanese.
Chen said China employs threats, enticements, and infiltration through united front tactics in an all-out effort to annex Taiwan. “Fortunately, most Taiwanese can tell right from wrong, primarily because democracy is the way of life in Taiwan, and this way of life has proven remarkably resilient to China's threats," said Chen.
He noted that respondents aged 15–19, who are active on TikTok and RedNote, had a higher rate of positive views toward China at 21%, per CNA. However, the percentage of those with a negative view of China is still higher at 32.2%.
New Power Party Chair Wang Wan-yu (王婉諭) said political turmoil over the past year shows the KMT and TPP are both pro-China parties, per Liberty Times. Public identification with China stands at only 6.5%, and support for unification at 10.8%.
Yet 23.4% of respondents identify with the KMT and 13.4% with the TPP, totaling 36.8%. Wang said TPP supporters are driven mainly by dissatisfaction with the major parties and the ruling administration, while KMT supporters primarily value having an opposition party to keep the government in check.
He argued that although political elites in the KMT and TPP act as agents of China, many base supporters of the two parties are localists who reject identifying as Chinese. He said the priority is not changing the views of blue and white supporters on independence or unification, but shifting their party preferences.
The survey was conducted from Nov. 17 to 19 and gathered 1,077 valid samples from people aged 15 and above, including 536 via landline and 541 via mobile phone. The sampling error is ±2.99 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
