The "Comparative Study of Electoral Systems"(CSES)

Because of Taiwan's unique political situation , the Workshop has developed special questions to measure electorate's positions on issues such as independence versus reunification,relations among sub-ethnic groups , the structure of government , and political culture. The survey conducted in Taiwan was designed using a multiple-stage sampling method that utilized the principles of probabilities proportional to size(PPS), stratified sampling, and systematic sampling to strengthen the sample's effective representation.Survey work started on the project in June 1996 following the completion of the questionnaire design.

The process began with hiring and training interviewers,who in turn collected data through face-to-face interviews and re-interviews during the summer of 1996. Following the completion of the survey phase of the project, the data was rearranged, organized, and then analyzed using common SPSS statistics software . Statistical results have confirmed a satisfactory and reliable sample representation, thereby signaling the completion of the first stage of the project.In the next stage of the project we hope to link our data from the first stage with further macro-level data.