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Taipei, Jan. 8 (CNA) Independent presidential contender James Soong and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shui-bian are neck and neck while Kuomintang candidate Lien Chan still trails in support ratings, according to the results of the latest public opinion poll released on Saturday.

The poll, conducted by EX International P.R. Consultants, found that 22.2 percent of the respondents would vote for Soong and another 22.2 percent would support Chen, while 16.8 percent would support Lien if the presidential election were held the following day.

New Party presidential candidate Lee Ao and independent contender Hsu Hsin-liang, meanwhile, received support ratings of 0.5 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively, the poll found.

Asked who they thought most likely to win the election, 37.9 percent of the respondents said Lien will win, 14 percent said Chen will win, and 13 percent said Soong will be the victor.

However, 33.2 percent of the respondents stated that they have not yet decided who they will support, according to the poll.

The poll found that finding ways to resolve differences and defuse tensions across the Taiwan Strait, enhancing harmony among Taiwan's ethnic groups, and strengthening the country's national defenses are the three top issues currently of greatest concern to the people.

About 23 percent of the respondents said they believe Chen is capable of dealing with these issues as a president, compared with 18.7 percent who think Lien is best-suited to the task, and 17.6 percent who think Soong is most capable.

The poll, conducted at a time when Lien has declared a war against "black gold" -- money and organized crime -- in Taiwan politics, and has promised to put all KMT-held assets into trust if elected, also found that about half of the respondents do not believe that Lien will keep his word.

EX International conducted the poll by telephone between Jan. 4 and 6, obtaining 955 valid responses with an error margin of 3.17 percent. (By Deborah Kuo)