Generations, Life-Cycle, and War Support in Taiwan

• In Event: Cross-Strait Conflict and Public Perception

Abstract

Abstract
Do different generations of citizens possess distinct attitudes toward support for military conflict? We argue that citizens formulate their political attitudes based on major events in their adolescence. Critical historical and diplomatic events, whether with friends or foes, would shape how each generation’s proclivity for war support. In addition to generations, we also recognize the importance of life-cycle – younger citizens certainly hold different war attitudes compared to their older counterparts. We use Duke University’s Taiwan National Security Surveys from 2002 to 2019 to analyze Taiwanese citizens’ attitudes toward self-defense in a hypothetical armed conflict with China. Accounting for the influence of age, we find support for the generation thesis – younger citizens in Taiwan show markedly low willingness to fight a war with China. This research brings the debate between generation and life cycle into the public support for war literature and has policy implications for a pressing issue in East Asia.

Authors

• Charles K.S. Wu, University of South Alabama

• Yao-Yuan Yeh, University of St. Thomas