MAC announces the results of the most recent public opinion survey
In response to the public’s concern about the policy of opening up tourism in Taiwan for Chinese tourists, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) released the results of the most recent public opinion survey indicating that with regard to the government's initial plan to allow a daily quota of 1,000 Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan, 43.5 percent of the public believe that this quota is the right size, 23.2 percent of the public believe it is too small, and 17.5 percent of the public believe it is too large. Moreover, the majority of the public believe this policy will have positive significance in promoting the economy, increasing tourism revenue, allowing Chinese residents to experience Taiwan’s democracy and freedom, and enhancing understanding between the people across the Strait.
At the press conference held on December 22, 2006, the MAC announced the results of the public opinion survey on “The Public's View on Current Cross-Strait Relations.” The MAC indicated that on the issue of direct cross-strait transportation links, the survey showed that 70.3 percent of the public believe such links should be “opened conditionally,” while 16.4 percent of the respondents believe such links should be “opened unconditionally.” Moreover, over 70 percent of the public agree that after the smooth implementation of the Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and other cross-strait charter flights, the government should promote direct cross-strait transportation links in a sequential and orderly manner based on the experience of operating these flights.
On the issue of the close cross-strait economic and trade exchanges, the survey found that regarding restrictions imposed by the government on China-bound investments by Taiwanese businesspeople, 49.7 percent of the public believe such limits should be “slightly tightened,” while 35.1 percent believe they should be “slightly eased.” The survey results also showed that with regard to whether restrictions on China-bound investments by Taiwanese businesspeople should be eased, 56.7 percent of the public believe that, under the current lack of consensus in society, the government should not further relax restrictions on cross-strait economic and trade exchanges.
On the issue of unification vs. independence, the vast majority of the public (85.5 percent) advocate maintaining the status quo defined in a broader sense, consistent with the trends shown in the MAC’s previous public opinion surveys. Moreover, the majority of the public (73 percent) disagree with China’s stance on developing cross-strait relations under the “one country, two systems” formula. A total of 59.5 percent and 41.7 percent of the public believe the Chinese authorities are unfriendly to the Taiwanese government and people, respectively.
The public opinion survey was conducted between December 15 and December 17, 2006 by the Election Study Center of National Chengchi University under the authorization of the MAC. The results of the survey was based on telephone interviews of adults aged 20 and over in the Taiwan Area. A total of 1,073 effective samples were obtained, with a sampling error of about 3% based on a 95% confidence level.