The latest poll conducted by Rasmussen shows that 64 percent of likely US voters are in favour of recognising Taiwan as an independent country that is not part of China.

On Monday (June 26), the US polling firm Rasmussen Reports released the results of its latest telephone and online survey. When asked, “How do you rate the way President Joe Biden is handling issues related to China,” 64 percent of respondents believe the US “should officially recognise Taiwan as an independent nation, separate from China.”

Only 14 percent of respondents opposed Washington recognising Taiwan’s independence, while 22 percent were unsure. In terms of response by party affiliation, 62 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of Republicans, and 58 percent of independent voters backed US recognition of Taiwan, while only 13 percent of Democrats, 11 percent of Republicans, and 17 percent of independents were opposed.

However, only 34 percent of poll participants believe Biden has handled issues related to China well or excellently, and 48 percent have a bad opinion of his handling of the issue. While 58 percent of Democrats think Biden has done a good or excellent job on China, only 13 percent of Republicans and 29 percent of independents agree.

A majority of Republicans (79%) and independents (53%) rate Biden’s performance on China unfavourably, as do 15 percent of Democrats.

In addition, most voters anticipate that China will invade Taiwan at some point in the near future, but they are divided on the best US military response. Of the respondents, 37 percent supported the use of force by the US to defend Taiwan, 31 percent opposed it, and 32 percent were unsure.

A higher percentage of Republicans (42%) believe that China is very likely to invade Taiwan by force than Democrats (24%) and independent voters (29%).

The survey was conducted from June 20-22 on 1,046 likely US voters. It had a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points with a confidence level of 95%.

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4932544

Category: Taiwan