Journal of Electoral Studies

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Home Issues Backissues Volume 31, No.1 Change and Continuity: An Analysis of Taiwanese/Chinese Identity and Position on the Cross-Straight Relations

Change and Continuity: An Analysis of Taiwanese/Chinese Identity and Position on the Cross-Straight Relations

Chiung-Chu Lin
2012 / 05
Volume 19, No.1

pp.97-127
10.6612/tjes.2012.19.01.97-127
Paper

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the test-retest reliability of two important political attitudes, i.e. Taiwanese/Chinese identity and issue of Unification/ Independence (UI issue), among the Taiwanese electorate by analyzing the 2004-2008 panel data from the Taiwan Election and Democratization Study. This paper further explores the socio-demographic factors that might affect the consistence of one's Taiwanese/Chinese identity and the position of the issue of Unification/Independence. This paper then examines the relationship between the two political attitudes.The findings suggest that one's Taiwanese/Chinese identity demonstrates higher stability than his/her position on the UI issue. People who identified themselves as Chinese changed to having a ”joint identity”. Those who hold a ”joint identity” have changed to identified themselves as Taiwanese. The factors that affect one's attitude consistency include education, political generation and China experience. Those with less education, the oldest generation and have been to China are more likely to change their attitudes. Moreover, findings from the statistical model show that one's Taiwanese/Chinese identity influences one's position on the UI issue.

Keywords

Taiwanese/Chinese identity

issue of Unification/Independence

panel study