Wow man thanks a lot! I really appreciate you taking time to reply in such a comprehensive manor. I find it interesting that despite these problems, the willingness to defend the ROC among the local population is still relatively high
. Isn't that a little bizarre, having civilian willing to fight but not the servicemen?
According to this survey, there's little faith in both the local military, and American willingness to intervene in the event of a contingency:
7.Slight Decline in Confidence Toward Taiwan’s Military
• The proportion expressing “strong confidence” fell from 20% in September 2024 to 14%, while those expressing “no confidence” rose from 25% to 30%.
8.Decreased Trust in U.S. Security Commitments
• Those believing the U.S. “will definitely intervene militarily” dropped from 19% in March 2024 to 14%, while 47% believe the U.S. is unlikely to intervene.
If you were a local in Taiwan and "shit hit the fan," would you volunteer to fight under a military just about no one was confident of, especially if the 7th Fleet wasn't coming?
Likewise, would you expect or want your friends and relatives to risk their lives given the publicly expected odds of victory, if not survival?
Moreover, while we don't know how this survey was conducted, survey results do depend on how questions are phrased and communicated, as well as how data gets presented. It's not unusual for a survey like this to get spun or twisted in some way or another by those conducting and/or paying for it due to political priorities.
Part of the issue in play here is also typical human mental incongruence: specifically in this instance a desire for a certain outcome at a group or societal level, but a lack of willingness to contribute to, never mind to sacrifice for such an outcome at a personal level. In fact, this survey reflects such a reality:
5.Growing Support for Increasing the Defense Budget
• 51% support raising the defense budget, a 4% increase since January 2025, surpassing the majority threshold for the first time.
6.Special Budget Becomes the Preferred Source for Defense Funding
• 49% favor using special budgets to increase defense spending, ahead of “tax hikes” (42%) and “resource reallocation” (31%).
Can't take these people seriously when they want a stronger military, but are largely unwilling to pay for it, especially when they can afford to do so, unlike say the Ukrainians.
This is obviously a less formal survey, but might offer some food for thought:
Ultimately, regardless of which surveys you look at or how you interpret the results, talk is cheap. More worthwhile to evaluate their actions, especially how much $ is being spent as a % of economic output, and where that $ is going.
