Voting DPP causes most regret for Taiwanese in 2016: poll

Voting for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was the most regretful act for Taiwanese people in 2016, in view of its poor governance and breaking promises, according to a recent survey.

According to the poll by PTT, an online social network on the island, 12,068, or 59 percent of respondents said voting for the DPP was the action they most regretted in 2016, followed by "confessing love" and "buying stocks."

Since people aged 20 to 30 are the major subscribers of PTT, the survey reflects the views of young people, the most active group in the island's political election, said Hou han-t'ing, director of the new media department of the New Party of Taiwan.

"They are truly disappointed with the DPP," he said, citing anger over the DPP-led legislature's amendment to a labor law, which breached the party's promise to allow workers more mandatory rest days.

The DPP approval rating has been plummeting since it took office in May 2016, with people complaining that the party did not live up to its promise to boost the island's sagging economy, and instead was obsessed by suppressing political rivalry and the Kuomintang Party (KMT).

The approval rating of Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen dropped from 47 percent when she took office in May to 26 percent six months later, according to a survey by TVBS, a local TV station.

Analysts said that DPP's poor governance also angered the middle class, as their wealth is shrinking amid a sluggish economic outlook. Endi