Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) increased her lead over President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to 6.6 percentage points — gaining ground in central Taiwan and Hakka constituencies in particular — according to a survey by Taiwan Brain Trust (TBT).
The survey found that 40.1 percent of respondents said they would support Tsai, while 33.5 percent would vote for Ma, who is seeking re-election, and 11.2 percent for People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), TBT poll center director Chen Jin-ji (陳錦稷) told a press conference yesterday.
Tsai expanded her lead from 3.7 percentage points in the previous poll conducted by the think tank, which was released on Nov. 2. The increase mainly came from significant gains in central Taiwan, including Greater Taichung, Changhua and Nantou, as well as the predominantly Hakka constituencies of Miaoli, Hsinchu and Taoyuan, Chen said.
Although Tsai still trailed in the two regions — by 4.3 percentage points in central Taiwan and 2 percentage points in Hakka counties, she has closed the gap rapidly by gaining voter support of 9.2 and 7.7 percentage points respectively in these areas in less than a month.
The DPP candidate surpassed Ma in female voter support for the first time, the poll showed, with 37.6 percent of female respondents saying they would vote for Tsai against 36.3 percent for Ma.
Tsai continued to widen her advantage in southern Taiwan, leading by 25.2 percentage points in Yunlin, Chiayi and Greater Tainan and 28 percentage points in Greater Kaohsiung and Pingtung, TBT chief executive officer Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said.
The survey collected 1,068 samples between Nov. 18 and Monday and had a 3 percent margin of error.
The survey also asked respondents about their views on the nation’s fiscal situation, as well as the current administration’s tax policy, with more than half expressing concern about these issues.
A total of 59.1 percent of respondents said the Ma administration’s tax policy favored capitalists, and 51.3 percent said Ma had favored his associates in the distribution of national resources and budgets.
Almost 60 percent disagreed that the increasing national debt was “the result and an effect of the global situation,” as Ma has said, with 70.7 percent of respondents saying they were very concerned about the worsening national debt situation since Ma took office in 2008.
The survey results showed that while national finances may be a complex issue, the majority of people shared the same feelings and views, National Taiwan University professor Kenneth Lin (林向愷) said.
“The 30-49 age bracket, which represents the primary work force, was particularly worried about the worsening fiscal situation. That should mean something to the Ma administration,” Lin said.
Meanwhile, a public opinion poll conducted by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) and released yesterday showed Tsai leading by 2.4 percentage points.
In the survey, 35.79 percent of respondents said they would vote for Tsai against 33.39 percent for Ma and 9.8 percent for Soong.
It found male voters favored Tsai and female voters tended to support Ma, with Tsai leading 37.91 percent to Ma’s 30.02 percent among men and Tsai trailing Ma by about 4.5 percentage points among women.
The survey had 1,285 samples with a margin of error of 2.73 percent.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS