Over 80% in Taiwan oppose ending death penalty, poll finds

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A recent poll shows that more than 80% of the public remains opposed to abolishing the death penalty, according to the Chinese Association for Human Rights (CAHR, 中華人權協會) and the Taiwan Deliberative Democracy Association (台灣審議民主協會).

The associations held a series of public deliberation meetings on the death penalty in May, culminating in the survey findings announced on Wednesday (Sept. 18). 

The poll revealed a slight shift in public opinion following the meetings. Support for abolishing the death penalty fell from 17% to 9.2%, while opposition saw a marginal decline from 81.6% to 80.2%. Meanwhile, undecided respondents rose from 1.4% to 10.6%.

Kao Su-po (高思博), chairman of CAHR, emphasized that while the proportion of those opposing abolition remained steady, support for abolition significantly decreased, with many moving to a neutral stance. "For the public, the question of abolishing the death penalty remains an idealized concept. We need to slow down and encourage more dialogue," he said.

Kao added that after expert discussions, a strong consensus emerged among the public to retain the death penalty. He noted that public opinion has become more moderate, with fewer extreme views on the subject.