Taiwanese or Chinese? Independence or Unification?

Abstract

Recent political developments on Taiwan seem to suggest that the issues of ethnic identity and the island’s future relationship with China are divisive and polarized. Employing the concept of ‘political generation’, this study examines six waves of survey data collected through personal interviews. The findings indicate that the ethnic identity of Taiwanese citizens has experienced significant change between 1994 and 2002. Many citizens, especially the younger generations, have increasingly moved away from a Chinese identity in favor of a dual identity, considering themselves to be both Chinese and Taiwanese. Unlike the polarized image painted by the island’s politicians, it appears that there is convergence towards this identity across different generations. On the issue of Taiwan’s future relations with China, maintaining the status quo with any future action left undetermined is the preferred policy position for younger islanders with the island’s eventual unification with China being the favored stand for first generation respondents. Because the third and fourth generations combined have become the largest age cohort in the Taiwanese population, their similar identity and policy preference will have decisive effects on Taipei’s current and future domestic and foreign policies.