Crime Research Center and Department of Criminology at National Chung Cheng University (CCU) conducted telephone surveys for “Survey of Taiwanese People’s Satisfaction of Justice and Crime Prevention – 2023”. According to the research, around 88.8% of the public were satisfied with the public security in their areas, marking the second-highest rate since the peak in 2018. Over the past decade, the satisfaction rates have remained stable at around 80 to 90 percent, reflecting high public confidence in neighborhood security.

CCU Department of Criminology stated that the public’s satisfaction regarding police maintenance of public order has risen significantly, with a rate of 82.86%, risen 9 percentage points compared with the previous annual research. The upward trend of satisfaction reflected the public’s high approval of the police’s work in maintaining law and order, while also demonstrating the effectiveness of the police in fulfilling their duties and gaining the trust of the public.
In relation to the establishment of the social safety net, 54.5% of the public expressed approval.Despite the positive feedback on the government’s efforts in this regard, there is still room for improvement. Therefore, further strengthening the social safety net, improving inter-ministerial cooperation effectiveness, and raising public awareness of crime prevention remain as primary objectives that the government should continue to pursue.

CCU Crime Research Center further stated that the public maintained a 33.3% satisfaction rate concerning fair and impartial judiciary decisions in criminal cases, and 70% for the “citizen judge system”. Positive evaluations for fair and impartial judging remained stable at 33.2%, consistent with the one-third satisfaction rate observed over the past three years. Regarding the 70% approval rate for the citizen judge system, it may be inferred that the new policy has enabled greater public
involvement in the trial process, thereby increasing the public’s confidence and simultaneously reducing distrust in the judicial system.

In 2023, the public＇s satisfaction with the government＇s fraud prevention efforts stood at 37.62%,marking the lowest point in this decade. With the rise of cases involving Taiwanese citizens being lured to Cambodia and other countries by false information, along with the surge in investment frauds during 2023, the public’s confidence in the government’s prevention of fraud has declined significantly. In terms of the legalization of marijuana, nearly 90% of the public held an opposing
attitude. According to surveys, 89.1% of the public were against the legalization, with 66.9% expressing complete opposition. The results suggested widespread opposition, with nearly 90% of the public against the legalization of marijuana.

Recently, major criminal cases in schools have had a profound impact on the public, inducing a growing concern for campus safety. Nearly 90% of the public believed that there is a need to improve safety on school grounds. Specifically, 89.2% of the respondents believed that campus security measures should be strengthened, with 55.2% considering it ＂very necessary＂ and 33.8% for “necessary”. It is hoped that the government will implement measures to enhance school safety in the future, thereby increasing the public’s confidence concerning this issue.

In the second half of the year 2023, new regulations regarding “vehicles yielding to pedestrians at pedestrian crossing” came into force. Overall, 64.4% of the surveyed respondents expressed approval of the policy, reflecting the general public support for the safety measures provided by this new traffic rule.

For the public’s attitude toward the abolition of the death penalty, the survey results indicate that 62.7% of the respondents “completely oppose the abolition of the death penalty, ＂ marking the highest peak in recent years. The second-highest percentage- 23.1%, was for those who ＂generally oppose but are willing to consider complementary measures.＂ Overall, the results suggested that a majority of 85.83% of Taiwanese people held an opposing attitude toward the abolition of the death
penalty.