TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New polling shows Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) is still the favorite for the 2024 Taiwan presidential election, with support for the vice president increasing by 7% compared to the same pollster's previous results.
The poll was released by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) on Monday (Aug. 21) and showed Lai with 43.4% support, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) down slightly with 26.6%, and the Kuomintang’s (KMT) Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) down 6.6% with 13.6% support. Just over 10% polled said they were undecided, and just over 6% did not provide a clear opinion.
Respondents were asked, among Lai, Hou, and Ko, who they would vote for. Support for Foxconn founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who has flirted with the idea of an independent presidential run, was not polled.
TPOF’s Chair You Ying-lung (游盈隆) said that candidates in a Taiwan presidential race polling within 10% of each other is a thing of the past. According to the poll, the gulf between the DPP and KMT candidates, who represent Taiwan’s two major political parties, now sits at almost 30%.
(Taiwan News image)
You also said that when broken down by region, polling results broadly reflect national trends. Hou’s support fluctuated within 2% between greater Taipei and Tainan, compared with Ko’s, which varied by nearly 8%, and Lai's by under 4%.
The poll was conducted via landline and cellphone between Aug. 14 and 15, in the middle of an international trip taken by Lai that involved two U.S. stopovers. Even though China strongly criticized the trip and launched military drills around Taiwan, Lai was also seen by some experts to have used the trip to moderate perceptions that he seeks Taiwan's independence.
The poll provides a different picture for the KMT’s Hou compared to a My Formosa poll released on Aug. 17, which showed the New Taipei Mayor creep into second place for the first time in many polls. Lai was also the favorite in the My Formosa poll.
