Result indicates highest proportion since poll first conducted, only 17.6 percent self-identified as Taiwanese in 1992

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/04
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Around 67 percent of people in Taiwan identify as Taiwanese, the highest figure since the poll began in 1992, according to National Chengchi University's Election Study Center.

The survey, which investigates changes in Taiwanese identity, saw the proportion of those who self-identify as “Taiwanese” soar to 67 percent in 2020, a sharp rise from 56.9 percent last year. The figure marks the highest point over the past 28 years, when only 17.6 percent held the view in 1992.

People who regard themselves as “both Taiwanese and Chinese” dropped to 27.5 percent in 2020, the lowest since records began, which was 46.4 percent. Those who prefer to be called “Chinese” logged 2.4 percent this year and this reflects a flattened curve since 2008.

Separately, an opinion poll on Taiwan’s fate suggests an upward trend toward formal independence. Around 27.7 percent favor “maintaining the status quo and moving toward independence,” the highest since 1994 and a steep uptick from 15.1 percent in 2018 and 21.8 percent in 2019.    [FULL  STORY]