TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The result of the "Taiwan 2023 Character of the Year" poll was announced on Thursday (Dec. 7), with "lack of" (缺) seizing the top spot with 8,565 votes out of 58 candidates, becoming the symbol of the year's multifaceted social issues besetting the country.
The Chinese character, embodying societal challenges such as shortages of water, electricity, masks, vaccines, rapid test kits, labor, and notably, eggs, underscores a series of predicaments that Taiwan has confronted throughout the year.
The character "egg" (蛋) clinched the second position, amassing 6,433 votes, pairing with "lack of" to form the term "egg shortage" (缺蛋), symbolizing the egg scarcity Taiwan has experienced.
The term "fraud (詐), gathering 4,662 votes, was named the third-most representative character of the year, reflecting the persistent fraud scams troubling Taiwanese society.
Taoyuan Mayor Simon Chang nominated the character "lack of," emphasizing a growing sense of insecurity due to escalating housing prices, inflation, the egg shortage, and other social security and food safety concerns.
Former Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien recommended "egg," linking it to the quality of politics, corruption issues, and the challenges of a decreasing birth rate.
"Fraud" was championed by Taiwan Mobile President Jamie Lin, focusing on the fraud issues magnified by the pandemic and the associated digital risks.
Organized jointly by the CTBC Foundation for Arts and Culture and the United Daily News, the "Taiwan 2023 Character of the Year" poll commenced on Nov. 10 and concluded on Dec. 5, spanning 25 days with a total of 65,043 votes from the public.
Since its inception in 2008, Taiwan's annual character selection has been conducted for 16 consecutive years, with each chosen character reflecting the pulse of Taiwanese society and the thoughts of its people annually.