Popular Reflections (Survey I)

This chapter reports on the results of an online survey of public opinion conducted in Taiwan during December 2015. By outlining the contents of the survey: Taiwanese voters' participation and identity formation, along with their relationship to cross-Strait relations, the chapter reveals further nuances of Taiwan's identity formation. It shifts to investigate how the reality of China's rise is affecting popular views and sentiments among those on the island about the Mainland as well as of their own sense of self. The chapter also provides empirical support for the theoretical approach of analytic eclecticism and systemism. The chapter offers analysis and synthesis by linking elite interviews with surveys on issues that pertain to the political economy of China's rise, cross-Strait relations, Taiwanese identity and US activity in Northeast Asia.