Incessant political squabbles are the biggest source of distress among Taiwanese youth, a non-profit organization said yesterday, urging the nation's leaders to place more emphasis on improving the living standards of the people instead of their own electability.
The poll on the cause of pain and distress was conducted by Tosun Foundation from a pool of 2,210 junior high school, high school and vocational high school students. Results showed that the highest ranked cause of pain and distress was the government's conduct, at 73.2 points, followed by uncertainty about the future, at 64.6 points, and social disorder, at 62.4 points.
Family issues and academic pressure were at the bottom of the list of five categories, but the foundation stressed that the level of pain and distress experienced by youth had made a tremendous leap in all five categories since last year, signifying that overall, youth are experiencing deeper distress.
EDUCATION JUMP
Dissatisfaction and concerns about the country's education system made the biggest jump from 53 points to this year's 56 points and the government's inability to curb the worsening environmental damage in the country also topped the list.
Foundation president Liao Cheng-hao (
"Instead of actively pushing for social welfare policies that could benefit the nation, many government agencies have become political batters to attack those who oppose them," said Liao, a former justice minister under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government.
Taiwan's waning competitiveness and shrinking job market are making young people lose confidence in their future, he said.
REDUCE ELECTIONS
Liao suggested that the government cut down the frequency of elections because many young people are "absolutely sick of it" and feel it is a giant waste of social resources to hold so many elections each year.
"The government should lump all the major elections into one to prevent a huge waste of resources and animosity between the different groups in Taiwan. We must make sure our generation does not grow up in pain and suffering," Liao said.
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
Nearly 800 Indian tourists are to arrive this week on an incentive tour organized by Indian company Asian Painted Ltd, making it the largest tour group from the South Asian nation to visit since the COVID-19 pandemic. The travelers are scheduled to arrive in six batches from Sunday to Feb. 25 for five-day tours, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The tour would take the travelers, most of whom are visiting Taiwan for the first time, to several tourist sites in Taipei and Yilan County, including tea houses in Taipei’s Maokong (貓空), Dadaocheng (大稻埕) and Ximending (西門町) areas. They would also visit
RSS