TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Regular TikTok users in Taiwan are more likely to express views aligned with Beijing’s narratives, according to a recent survey conducted by think tank Doublethink Lab.
The survey, carried out in March and released on June 5, compared “active” TikTok users — defined as those using the app several times a week for more than 30 minutes per session, or multiple times daily in shorter bursts — with “inactive” users spending significantly less time on the platform. It assessed their opinions on topics such as cross-strait relations, democracy, and US support for Taiwan.
Respondents across Taiwan’s three major political parties, the KMT, TPP, and DPP, generally rejected the idea that Taiwan should abandon democracy to preserve cross-strait peace. However, among DPP supporters, 73.1% of active TikTok users disagreed with that statement, compared to 83.4% of their less active counterparts.
When asked whether they agreed with the claim that the “DPP is no different from the Chinese Communist Party and that Taiwan lacks freedom of speech,” 23.9% of active DPP users said yes. In contrast, just 9.3% of inactive DPP users held this belief.
Posed with the question of who is responsible for cross-strait tensions between China and Taiwan, 51.8% of inactive users blamed Beijing. However, only 38.9% of active users faulted China, a statistically significant difference of nearly 13 percentage points.
Among active users, 35% blame the DPP government for heightened tensions, compared to 29.4% of inactive users. Active users were also more likely to say the US is responsible for the tensions at 15.5%, while 10.2% of inactive users faulted Washington.
The survey also asked whether unification with China would “not significantly change ordinary people’s lives.” Among active users, 45.2% agreed with that statement, compared to 33.2% of inactive users, a 12% gap.
Compared to the 2024 election survey, Taiwanese skepticism has grown toward the US on questions over its trustworthiness, attempts to push Taiwan into war, and whether it would assist Taiwan if China invades. On the question “if PRC were to use force to attack Taiwan, the US will not send assistance to Taiwan,” 22.3% of active users strongly agreed compared to 13.5% of inactive users, a difference of 8.8 percentage points.
Eric Hsu, a researcher at Doublethink Lab, said the findings suggest that, regardless of political affiliation, frequent TikTok use is associated with increased skepticism toward Taiwan’s democratic system and openness to authoritarianism. It is also associated with a greater tendency to adopt pro-China views, such as blaming Taiwan and the US for cross-strait tensions and the notion that Chinese annexation would not change their everyday lives.
