Self-identification as “Taiwanese and Chinese,” or solely as “Chinese,” has dropped to record lows, while 63.3 percent of the public regard themselves as Taiwanese, a survey released on Tuesday by National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center showed.
Respondents identifying as Taiwanese and Chinese dropped to 31.4 percent, while those identifying solely as Chinese fell to 2.7 percent, the survey showed.
The results reflect changes in attitudes since 1994 among Taiwanese toward independence and unification with China, as well as self-identification trends since 1992, commenters said.
Screen grab from the Web site of National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center
Support for independence was 25.8 percent, while about 5 percent of respondents said that they want the nation to “declare independence as soon as possible,” the survey showed.
Support for the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait was 28.2 percent, while 27.5 percent said they would prefer that the “status quo” be permanent, the survey showed.
The results showed that 1.5 percent of respondents want “unification with China as soon as possible,” while 5 percent said that they leaned toward unification.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) yesterday said that Chinese oppression of Hong Kong’s democracy and Taipei’s successful efforts to increase interactions with the international community under the name Taiwan contributed to the increase in people who self-identify as Taiwanese.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) should abandon its outmoded adherence to the so-called “1992 consensus” and dreams of “uniting China,” Hsu said.
The “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The Election Study Center has been conducting polls on the issue of national identification for a long time and its findings should be considered credible, DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said.
The results show that the oppressive tactics adopted by Beijing — fighter jets circumnavigating Taiwan, oppressing Hong Kong and oppression of Uighurs — not only fail to intimidate Taiwanese, but bolster their belief and self-identification as Taiwanese, Chen said.
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