TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A new poll released by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) shows a majority of Taiwanese consider China "unfriendly," and over 90 percent oppose the communist country's efforts to block Taiwan from participating in the WHO.

On March 26, the MAC released the results of a survey conducted between March 19 and 23 on Taiwanese people's opinions toward cross-strait relations. In the first question, participants were asked whether they considered China "unfriendly" toward Taiwan's government and people.

In response, 76.6 percent said they believe China is unfriendly toward the Taiwanese government, while 61.5 percent feel the totalitarian regime is unfriendly towards Taiwanese people — the highest percentages seen in nearly 15 years. As for China's policies toward Taiwan, 90 percent disagree with the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) proposed "one country, two systems" model for Taiwan, 90.5 percent oppose Beijing's threat to use force against Taiwan, and 91.5 percent disagree with its suppression of Taiwan in the diplomatic sphere.

As for China's continued exclusion of the country from the World Health Organization (WHO) in the midst of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 91.6 percent oppose the measure and feel that it has harmed the health rights and interests of the people of Taiwan.

The poll also questioned respondents on their stance on unification with China, independence, and maintaining the status quo. When asked whether Taiwan should maintain the status quo for the time being, 28.1 agreed, a nearly 10-point drop from the 31.8 percent seen in 2016.

When given the choice of maintaining the status quo and move towards independence, 26.7 percent agreed, up from 19.8 percent in 2016. In contrast, only 23.6 percent still back maintaining the status quo indefinitely, compared to 26.5 percent four years ago.

As for immediate independence, 9.3 percent expressed support, a significant uptick from the 6.5 percent reported four years ago. On the other end of the spectrum, those supporting immediate unification dropped down to 0.8 percent, compared to 1.1 percent in 2016.

The MAC commissioned the National Chengchi University Election Study Center to carry out the survey on adults over the age of 20 via telephone from March 19 to 23. It collected 1,089 valid samples with a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.97 percentage points.