TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A poll released Monday (Feb. 24) by the Think Tank of Foundation for the People (啟思民本基金會) reveals overwhelming opposition among Taiwanese to transferring Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (台積電) 2-nanometer process to the United States. The foundation's CEO, Huang Kwei-bo, highlighted that 84.8% of respondents are against the move, with 60.8% expressing strong disapproval.
The poll also highlights growing concerns about potential tariff pressures from a future Trump administration, with 85.6% of participants anticipating such challenges and 52.8% considering them "very likely." Furthermore, only 40.6% of respondents view Taiwan-U.S. trade as equitable, while 62.4% believe the U.S. holds an upper hand in negotiations. In response to former President Trump's claims that Taiwan is "taking away America's semiconductor business," 88.4% of those polled disagreed, with 59.2% strongly opposing the assertion.
Legislative Yuan (立法院) Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) suggested that the Trump administration's strategy involves reshaping the global trade landscape by using tariffs as a negotiation tool. He emphasized the arrival of "the Era of Grand Negotiation" and encouraged Taiwan to capitalize on a range of industries beyond TSMC.
Conducted between Feb. 18-21, the survey reached participants through Facebook advertisements, adhering to quota standards for gender, age, region, and education level. It collected 1,042 valid responses, with a margin of error of ±3.03% at a 95% confidence level. The data was further refined using the Raking method to align with the national population structure.
