President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has seen his trust rating climb back above 50 percent for the first time since April 2025, according to the September 2026 edition of the Taiwan Public Opinion Survey released on September 29 by pollster Tai Li-an (戴立安). Among Taiwan's three main political parties, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party posted the highest satisfaction rating, while the Taiwan People's Party came in last.
Lai's Approval Holds Above Half While Disapproval Slips
The survey found that 51.4 percent of respondents were satisfied with Lai's performance in office. Dissatisfaction fell 1.2 percentage points from the previous month to 41.1 percent, leaving a gap of roughly 10 points between the two.
Trust Crosses 50 Percent For The First Time Since April 2025
The shift in trust was more pronounced. Lai's trust rating rose 1.3 percentage points to 51.2 percent, the first time it has topped 50 percent since April 2025.
Distrust, meanwhile, dropped 3.8 percentage points to 35.7 percent, its lowest level since December 2024. That was the largest movement of any indicator in this month's survey.
The DPP Leads On Party Satisfaction As The TPP Trails
On party ratings, the Democratic Progressive Party drew a satisfaction rate of 47.4 percent, up 0.6 points from August and the highest of the three major parties. The Kuomintang came in at 26.4 percent, down 1.5 points from the previous survey, while the Taiwan People's Party ranked last at 21.6 percent.
How The Survey Was Conducted
The survey covered all 22 of Taiwan's counties and cities and polled adults aged 20 and older. It was conducted by computer assisted telephone interviewing from September 21 to 23, with 1,075 successful interviews, including 698 by landline and 377 by mobile phone. The maximum margin of error for the combined sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
