This study asks whether bipartisan American support for Taiwan holds when Taiwan is framed as a Republican or Democratic issue. Using two preregistered survey experiments in the United States, the paper tests how partisan framing alters public support for different types of US policy toward Taiwan. The contribution is a qualified, issue-specific account: some Taiwan-related policies shift with partisan framing while others do not.
Preregistered survey experiments Issue-by-issue variation in framing effects Focus on US public opinion toward Taiwan
Data and methods
The author reports two preregistered survey experiments conducted in the United States. The experiments manipulate whether Taiwan is presented as associated with Republican or Democratic cues and measure respondents' support for multiple policy types toward Taiwan. The abstract identifies survey experiments as the core research design and emphasizes preregistration.
Main findings
The paper finds heterogeneity across policy domains. When Taiwan is framed as a partisan issue, some foreign policy areas—notably diplomatic and military policy—can become more partisan, whereas economic policy preferences toward Taiwan remain bipartisan in these experiments. The abstract frames these as qualified, issue-specific results rather than universal effects.
- Partisan framing can affect diplomatic and military support for Taiwan.
- Economic-policy support for Taiwan appears resistant to partisan frames in these studies.
Contribution
By testing partisan cueing across multiple foreign-policy domains, the study refines expectations about polarization and foreign policy—showing that bipartisan public opinion can persist on some Taiwan-related issues even when partisan frames are applied to others.
