A new monthly survey of Taiwanese public opinion shows President Lai Ching-te's standing improving and the ruling party pulling ahead, good news for the DPP heading into local elections and bad news for the opposition.

• Lai's approval and trust ratings both cleared 50%, with trust at its highest since April 2025 and distrust at its lowest in nearly two years.
• Party preference now leans green: the DPP sits in the mid-30s while the KMT is in the mid-teens and the TPP barely above 6%, so the two opposition parties together still trail.
• More than three quarters of people reject Beijing's "one country, two systems" formula for Taiwan.
• Voter attention is concentrated on the Taipei mayoral race, with New Taipei second and the rest of the country far behind.

Outlook: If these numbers hold, the opposition will be under pressure to cooperate or consolidate before the 2026 local votes, especially in the Taipei area.