TAIPEI (TVBS News) — According to a survey released on Tuesday (Jan. 2) by ETtoday, 73.5% of respondents are against the abolition of the death penalty, while 21.8% support its abolition. 4.6% expressed uncertainty or no opinion.
Among those opposing, 52.1% strongly oppose it, with 21.4% somewhat against it. Among abolition advocates, 14.1% strongly support it, and 7.7% moderately so.
The poll also reveals that 85.0% of interviewees believe current laws overly protect offenders, with 47.2% considering it extremely excessive and 36.8% merely excessive. Only 5.9% think the protection is reasonable, while 3.1% find it insufficient.
This reflects public skepticism about the criminal justice system's protection measures due to human rights concerns and worries about inadequate protections for victims.
The survey has gained prominence in light of a tragic incident on Dec. 25 in which a junior high school student in New Taipei was fatally attacked by a classmate.
In response to the tragedy, 41.4% of respondents primarily blamed parents or guardians, 25.1% the central government, 17.4% school management, and 12.0% the local government.
The survey was conducted from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1, with a valid sample size of 1,557. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.48%, targeting Taiwanese aged 20 and above.
The survey was delivered via a mobile text message link to an online questionnaire, with sample weighting based on population statistics provided by the Ministry of the Interior, accounting for gender, age, region, and educational level.