Poll of Foreigners Shows Solid Affirmation for Taiwan's Friendly People, Democratic Development, and Press Freedom

According to a recently released public opinion poll, the general impression of Taiwan among foreigners is that the island has friendly people, and specifically that the people of Taiwan are friendly, hard-working, and polite. Respondents also characterize Taiwan society as family-oriented, competitive, and safe. Finally, the people of Taiwan can feel proud that the survey shows that in comparison with the rest of the global community, Taiwan stands out in the areas of technological development, economic development, and democratic development.

In order to accurately establish Taiwan's status and promote the nation's image, the Government Information Office (GIO) last year commissioned Shih Hsin University's Institute for Public Opinion to undertake this "Opinion Poll of Foreign Visitors and Residents Regarding Taiwan's Image and Identity." The GIO publicly announced the results of the survey at a press conference on February 3, 2005.

The survey results show that more than half of all foreigners recognize Taiwan's success in the areas of democratic development and press freedom. Specifically, 55.88 percent of foreign visitors to Taiwan and 52.58 percent of foreign residents have a good impression of the government's efforts in the area of democratic development, while 50.71 percent of foreign visitors and 55.08 percent of foreign residents have a positive view on the government's work in the area of press freedom. Among foreigners living in Taiwan, those older in age, higher in educational level, longer in residence in Taiwan, or with more frequent interaction with the people of Taiwan in their daily lives, have a better impression of Taiwan's government administration overall.

In comparison with other nations of the world, Taiwan shines in a number of areas. About 70 percent of foreign visitors and residents consider Taiwan superior in terms of technological development and economic development. In comparison with its cohorts among Asia's "four dragons" (i.e., Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong), Taiwan excels in technological development and democratic development, according to respondents. Furthermore, when asked to compare Taiwan and China, nearly 70 percent of the respondents put Taiwan on top in every category. In general, foreign residents are 5 to 10 percent more likely than foreign visitors to give a positive assessment of Taiwan. It is noteworthy that 80.33 percent of foreign visitors and 85.26 percent of foreign residents consider Taiwan's democratic development far better than China's.

As for tourism in Taiwan, foreign visitors express the greatest interest in cuisine (51.03 percent), followed by cultural heritage (35.20 percent), shopping (29.20 percent), and historical sites (29.11 percent). Among foreign residents of Taiwan, interest is centered on food (47.80 percent), followed by cultural heritage (35.18 percent), nightlife (28.49 percent), and historical sites (26.95 percent).

As for what Taiwan needs to improve the most, foreign visitors and residents alike put environmental protection, internalization, and tourist facilities at the top of the list. Minister Lin Chia-lung of the Government Information Office indicated that the government has already identified an urgent need for long-term development and management in these three areas, which remain crucial to Taiwan's sustainable development and competitiveness. With regard to internationalization, for instance, the Executive Yuan has proactively implemented a policy to create a Chinese/English bilingual living environment. Last year, in response to this key policy, the GIO commissioned the production of the FTV English news program and set up an E-government Entry Point of Taiwan (http://english.www.gov.tw) in conjunction with the Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission. At the beginning of this year, the GIO reassigned cable TV channels, carefully taking into consideration those that would help to create a Chinese/English bilingual environment and provide international news and information. The GIO has also encouraged program exchanges between Taiwan's TV industry and international media channels, including CNN, the BBC, and NHK.

This survey was conducted by Shih Hsin University's Institute for Public Opinion on behalf of the GIO in the form of face-to-face interviews between October 26 and December 31, 2004. The survey targeted foreigners visiting Taiwan for tourism, business, and other purposes, as well as foreign residents working, studying, and living in Taiwan. (Foreign workers employed to meet industrial needs, foreign caregivers, and foreign spouses of local Taiwanese did not take part in this survey.) The effective sample size for foreign visitors was 1,033, with a sampling error of 3.04 percent. For foreign residents surveyed, the effective sample size was 523, with a sampling error of 4.29 percent.

To precisely gauge how foreigners identify Taiwan, the GIO has commissioned the Gallup Organization, an internationally renowned US firm, to institute a large-scale survey of Taiwan's image in five strategically important countries: the US, UK, Japan, France, and Germany. Scheduled to be completed in April 2005, the survey will target 1,500 members of the general public and 200 public opinion leaders in order to provide a better understanding of impressions, evaluations, and political sympathies with respect to Taiwan.