EDITORIAL: Protecting the participating society

Taiwan ranked seventh worldwide for civil participation in The Global State of Democracy 2026: Democracy in an Age of Conflict report published on Tuesday by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. The Stockholm-based intergovernmental organization, which has more than 30 member states, evaluates four characteristics of democracies: representation, rights, rule of law and participation.

Taiwan ranked far above its neighbors in the “participation” category, with South Korea 36th and Japan 60th. The category measures voter turnout and the strength of civil society, as well as participation in political and nonpolitical organizations.

Taiwan was up five places from a year earlier in “representation,” down one place in “rule of law” and unchanged in the other two. With 57 percent of the countries assessed declining in at least one measure of democratic performance, maintaining a high standard is no small feat. Yet one look at Taiwan’s history demonstrates why its ranking is not surprising.

Although the nation’s democracy is relatively young, it has been built upon decades of ordinary people taking action for social and political change. During the 1970s and 1980s, the dangwai (黨外, “outside the party”) movement challenged the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) political monopoly under martial law and pushed for greater political freedoms. Rights advocates, journalists, lawyers and ordinary citizens organized in spite of the risks, helping lay the groundwork for political liberalization.

In 1990, three years after martial law was lifted, thousands of students demanded the dissolution of the aging National Assembly, the repeal of the temporary provisions governing the country and a timetable for political liberalization. The rally, known as the Wild Lily student movement, accelerated constitutional reforms, including the retirement of the “10,000-year congress” and the introduction of direct presidential elections in 1996.

The tendency of Taiwanese society to organize and demand change did not end with democratization. In 2011, Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear crisis gave new momentum to the anti-nuclear movement, prompting thousands to protest construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) and call for a reassessment of nuclear energy policy. Three years later, students and civic groups of the Sunflower movement occupied the Legislative Yuan over the government’s handling of a cross-strait trade agreement.

Last year, civic groups mobilized volunteers to collect signatures and trigger recall votes against KMT legislators. While all 24 recall votes failed, they drew an average turnout of more than 56 percent — much higher than the turnout typically seen in recall elections — demonstrating that voters on both sides of the political divide were motivated to take part.

Taiwan’s record of participation is not limited to politics. When devastating floods affected more than 1,600 homes in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) last year, tens of thousands of volunteers traveled from across the nation to help clear mud and debris, distribute food and supplies and assist residents in rebuilding their homes.

The same spirit is visible in nationwide urban resilience and air-defense drills, which have increasingly involved cooperation between local governments, businesses and residents. Whether disaster response or crisis preparedness, the efforts reflect a broad willingness among the public to take care of their communities.

Behind the long-standing culture of participation is a broader sense that society is something worth investing in and improving.

A 2021 Pew Research Center survey of 17 advanced economies asked people what made their lives meaningful, fulfilling and satisfying. While most cited factors such as family, jobs and material well-being, Taiwan was the only nation in which “society” ranked as the top source of meaning. It was also the only nation that ranked “freedom” in the top five.

Taiwanese pointed to the convenience and safety of daily life, affordable healthcare and the freedom provided by the nation’s democracy and rule of law. One woman said that she felt “fortunate to live in Taiwan, especially in the aspect of public health, democracy, and the rule of law and human rights, because it is very free.”

However, as much as Taiwanese value their free, safe and democratic society, they must also understand that it is not self-sustaining. It must be cultivated — especially as younger generations would face new challenges amid a rapidly changing political, technological and international landscape.

Taiwan’s ranking in the democracy report is much more than an impressive number. It represents decades of ordinary people dedicating their time to organize, volunteer, vote, protest and generate systemic change. That is something Taiwan should be proud of — and something worth protecting.