'I am Taiwan': 67% in island see themselves as primarily Taiwanese

The mandate in recently concluded elections in Taiwan have clearly given China answer to its claim that though it claims the province as part of its territory, people residing their do not have the same opinion. A survey that examined people in Taiwan found out that most of them residing in the region see themselves as primarily Taiwanese. In Taiwan elections 2024, electorates of the region voted for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for a third consecutive time. DPP considers Taiwan separate from China and promotes a separate national identity. We are Taiwanese A survey carried out by Pew Research Centre found 67 per cent of people living in Taiwan primarily consider them as Taiwanese, while just 3 per cent think of themselves as Chinese. “Nearly three-in-ten (28 per cent) think of themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese,” the report added. About 83 per cent of people between the age of 18 and 34 see themselves as primarily Taiwanese, while 15 per cent believe themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese. Just 1 per cent think of themselves as primarily Chinese. As many as 61 per cent of people in Taiwan aged 35 and above think of themselves as primarily Taiwanese, about 33 per cent considers themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese and only 4 per cent think of themselves being primarily Chinese. More number of women in Taiwan (72 per cent) than men (63 per cent) think of themselves as primarily Taiwanese. Identity tied to politics In Taiwan, the Kuomintang (KMT) is more closely aligned with China, as against DPP. According to Pew, identity in the region is tied to politics. People who consider themselves primarily Taiwanese are most likely to align themselves with DPP, while those who regard themselves as both Chinese and Taiwanese, or as primarily Chinese, are more aligned to the KMT. Since 1949, Taiwan has been governed independently of China, but Beijing views the island as part of its territory. Beijing has vowed to eventually “unify” Taiwan with the mainland, using force if necessary. Emotion game Apart from political inclination, the self-identification of people in Taiwan is also linked to their emotional attachment to China, the report said. About three-quarters of adults in Taiwan who see themselves as mainly Chinese or both Chinese and Taiwanese say they are emotionally attached to China. A similar share of people who consider themselves primarily Taiwanese say they are not emotionally attached to China. Not a lot of people in Taiwan identify themselves as primarily Chinese, 40 per cent still have an emotional connection to the mainland, including 11 per cent of those who say they are very emotionally attached to China. Older adults in Taiwan attached to China As per the survey report, emotional attachment to China is more common among older adults in Taiwan. While 46 per cent of those aged 35 and older reported an emotional connection with China, 26 per cent of under 35 said the same.