Nearly 80% of Taiwanese will voluntarily defend country: poll
ROC Central News Agency
2010/12/27 15:00:08
Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) Deputy Defense Minister Chao Shih-chang on Monday confirmed the results of a poll that showed 76.5 percent of respondents will voluntarily fight for their country if it comes under military threat.
In response to reporters' questions, Chao confirmed that the military in October commissioned a civilian poll on national defense policies.
In similar survey in 2009, the percentage of people who said they would volunteer if Taiwan came under attack was 74.5 percent, Chao said, attributing the higher percentage this year to what he called successful national defense education.
The results of the poll this year was reported in the Chinese-language China Times, which said it was the highest percentage in recent years.
According to the poll, civilians between the ages of 40 and 59 would be most likely to voluntarily defend Taiwan, and blue-collar workers would be more willing than white-collar workers to do so.
In light of the fact that the military is preparing to switch to a fully volunteer recruitment system, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said, the poll was conducted to determine the level of volunteerism that could be expected in the event of a war, the paper reported.
The results were not publicized because they were meant to be used only as reference by the military's personnel recruitment units, the MND said.
The survey was conducted on nearly 1,000 civilians over the age of 20 around Taiwan via telephone, the military said. (By Emmanuelle Tzeng and Elizabeth Hsu) enditem /pc
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