A spring 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that, out of the 24 countries surveyed, Taiwan is seen less favourably only in India and South Africa.
There were only two countries where favourable views of Taiwan and China are not in competition. In India, a large share of adults (35%) hold negative views of both Taiwan and China. In contrast, in Mexico, 36% of adults hold favourable opinions of both.
Overall, a median of 48% of people said they held a favourable view of the island nation, compared with a median of 28% who hold an unfavourable view. Notably, 25% held no opinion.
Favourable Views of Taiwan
Japan’s attitudes toward Taiwan were the most positive, with 82% reporting a favourable view, including 24% who hold a very favourable opinion.
Around 75% of the respondents in South Korea and 70% respondents in Australia also reported favourable views of Taiwan.
Similarly, around 66% of Israelis and Americans also hold a favourable opinion of the island.
In nine high-income countries we surveyed, pluralities of adults have a positive view of Taiwan but a negative view of China – for example, 71% of Japanese adults hold this view. https://t.co/WG2MXoNucT pic.twitter.com/DS7i03SJFl
— Pew Research Global (@pewglobal) August 11, 2023
In addition, adults in Argentina, Brazil, Greece, Hungary, and Spain are about as likely to have a favourable view of Taiwan as they are to have an unfavourable view.
Views Tied in with China
In nine of the high- and middle-income countries surveyed, people with favourable views of Taiwan were more likely to believe that China interferes “at least a fair amount” in the internal affairs of other countries.
For instance, most respondents in Australia and South Korea rate Taiwan favourably, but do not view China favourably. Many in the US, Canada, Sweden, the UK, Germany, and France also hold similar views.
Favourable Views of China
While none of the countries surveyed had an overwhelming number of those who favoured China over Taiwan, the three sub-Saharan African countries surveyed — Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya — had the largest shares of adults who rate China positively and Taiwan negatively.
Around 22% of adults in Nigeria and 18% in both South Africa and Kenya believe this. In all other countries surveyed, no more than 10% of the respondents held this view.