MAC: The public is satisfied with the government's policy of promoting direct cross-strait air transportation links and increasing the number of flights and flight points. The public also affirms the economic benefits from allowing Mainland tourists to visit Taiwan
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announces the results of its latest public opinion survey today (December 27, 2011). The survey results indicate that over 70 percent of the public are satisfied with the government's policy to open up direct cross-strait transportation links and to continue increasing the number of flights and flight points. Moreover, 72 percent of the public believe that the government's policy to allow visits to Taiwan by Mainland tourists has been helpful to Taiwan's economy.
The MAC indicates that, in June this year, the number of regular cross-strait passenger flights per week was increased from 370 to 558 and that of flight points was increase to 50. According to the statistics compiled by the Civil Aeronautics Administration of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, these flights carried over 13.84 million person-times of cross-strait passengers from September 2009 to November 30 this year (2011) and have greatly improved the convenience of cross-strait travel. Furthermore, the MAC states that, according to the statistics compiled by the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, over 2.92 million person-times of Mainland tourists visited Taiwan from July 2008, when the government began allowing such visits, to November 30 this year, generating foreign exchange revenue amounting to NT$150.2 billion (US$4.84 billion). This survey also shows that the results and benefits of the two policies of promoting direct cross-strait transportation links and allowing visits to Taiwan by Mainland tourists enjoy a high level of public support.
Regarding other cross-strait issues long and routinely observed by the MAC, the survey indicates that the overwhelming majority of the public (86.6 percent) still advocate "maintaining the status quo defined in a broader sense," a figure that has remained highly stable. Regarding the current pace of opening up cross-strait exchanges, the highest percentage of the public (48.1 percent) believe the pace is "just right," followed by the those believing the pace is "too fast" (25.7 percent) and "too slow" (12.9 percent).
The MAC commissioned the Election Study Center of National Chengchi University to conduct a telephone survey of adults aged 20 and over in the Taiwan Area from November 26 to 30, 2011. A total of 1,069 effective samples were collected, with a sampling error of 3 percent based on a 95 percent confidence level.