Most Taiwanese uphold their public responsibilities, while there is high discontent over scams and corrupt officials, the Professor Huang Kun-huei Education Foundation said yesterday, citing a poll it conducted.
The poll showed that 94.1 percent of respondents agreed that Taiwanese are mindful of their public responsibilities, which helps Taiwan’s public image.
The poll showed that 94.6 percent of respondents agreed that Taiwan is a friendly and well-mannered society.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The results echo the 2022 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, in which Taiwanese students ranked first in civic knowledge, the foundation said.
Its poll showed that 95.6 percent agreed that Taiwanese use polite language daily.
Ninety-one percent said that members of the public were mindful of others’ feelings, while 92.1 percent concurred that despite differing opinions, most people respect other people’s freedom of speech, the poll showed.
It showed that 89.4 percent agreed that Taiwanese are honest and do not lie, while 82.3 percent agreed that Taiwanese are considerate.
It showed that 93.7 percent believe Taiwanese would yield their seats to those in need on public transport, while 87.1 percent agreed that Taiwanese do not jockey for position while driving.
Asked about changes to levels of respect for others, 31.1 percent felt that it has improved, 53.8 percent said there is no noticeable difference and 12.8 percent said respect for others has worsened, the poll showed.
It showed that 78.5 percent were repulsed by rampant scams, while 62.1 percent abhorred officials who are corrupt or flout the law, the poll showed, adding that 32. 2 percent believed that false information was ubiquitous.
Asked what could be done to improve public morality and consciousness, 73.3 percent said they hoped the media would have a more positive influence, while 58.4 percent said they hoped that public figures would lead by example.
Lee Chi-ming (李琪明), a retired professor who taught in National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Civic Education and Leadership, said that acts of civic responsibility can stem from positive or negative mindsets.
That duality should be taken into consideration when such things are studied, Lee said.
People must develop independent thought and educate themselves about scamming methods to prevent falling for them, he said.
People must do their best to provide oversight of the government and prevent abuse of power, he added.
The poll, conducted from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30, garnered 16,892 valid samples from adults residing in Taiwan proper, the foundation said.
It did not provide margin of error details.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees