Poll: Over half of debate viewers back Shen Po-yang; Chiang Wan-an leads in overall support

Taiwan's local elections are entering the final stretch, and the race in Taipei City is growing increasingly tight.

After the two candidates held their first televised debate, a TVBS poll shows that DPP candidate Shen Po-yang won 52% support among viewers, but among those willing to vote, the KMT's incumbent Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an still holds higher support.

Chiang Wan-an and Shen Po-yang faced off repeatedly in their first televised debate on Saturday (October 31).

TVBS, one of the organizers, conducted a poll on the debate, showing that 59% of Taipei residents watched it, of whom 52% backed Shen Po-yang, ahead of Chiang Wan-an's 41%.

However, among those who did not watch the debate, Chiang Wan-an's support reached 54%, far ahead of Shen Po-yang's 27%.

Among those willing to vote, 46% backed Chiang Wan-an and 42% backed Shen Po-yang, narrowing the gap from eight percentage points in early October to four percentage points, indicating an increasingly tight race.

Looking at the voter structure, among those aged 20 to 29, Shen Po-yang leads Chiang Wan-an 48% to 40%; however, among voters aged 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and over 70, Chiang Wan-an leads Shen Po-yang.

Whether male or female, more support Chiang Wan-an.

In terms of favorability, Chiang Wan-an's favorability rose from 49% in early October to 55% after the debate, while his unfavorability fell to 31%; Shen Po-yang's favorability rose from 44% in early October to 49%, and his unfavorability also edged down to 35%.

The survey was conducted from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on October 31, with telephone interviews of 1,747 Taipei residents aged 20 and over.

At a 95% confidence level, the sampling error is within plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.