Taiwan fares well in recent poll of nation's image held overseas

This article was written by Cecilia Fanchiang and published by the Taiwan Journal on December 2, 2005.

According to a recent survey conducted by the U.S.-based Gallup Organization, the general public and opinion leaders in Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany have a favorable view of Taiwan. Over 60 percent of respondents said that they consider Taiwanese people to be "friendly", "hardworking" and "peace-loving".

The survey was commissioned by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. Conducted in May and June 2005, the survey asked respondents to evaluate Taiwan's image, its international status, cross-strait relations and other topics. In general, the respondents reported that they considered Taiwan as a country that has a high degree of technological development, a strong economy, and great food, interesting scenic attractions and beautiful scenery.

Specifically, more than half of the respondents among the general public in Japan, the United States and Great Britain expressed a favorable general impression of Taiwan, with 76 percent, 73 percent and 68 percent, respectively, responding in the positive. Such positive impression was expressed by as many as 94 percent of opinion leaders in Japan and 91 percent in the United States.

Furthermore, more than 78 percent of French, German and British opinion leaders said Taiwan is technically advanced. More than 70 percent of the German respondents said that they were impressed by Taiwan's cultural beauty, while more than 80 percent of the Japanese respondents considered Taiwan as a destination for good food, interesting attractions and beautiful scenery.

Finally, almost 40 percent of opinion leaders in France, Japan and the United States interviewed in the survey ranked Taiwan's national development among the top 25 in the world. Meanwhile, 89 percent of American opinion leaders and 92 percent of British ones thought that Taiwan should be allowed to participate as an observer at the World Health Organization.