More Taiwanese manufacturers are looking to expand production in the first half of 2012, a survey shows.

The survey, released by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research on Thursday, shows 45.6 percent of the Taiwanese manufacturers polled in January are optimistic about the island' s economy, compared with 27.2 percent in December, 2011.

In January, 13.6 percent of the manufacturers believed the local economy had little chance of getting better, marking a decrease from the 34.2 percent in December, 2011, according to the survey.

In addition to manufacturing, the institute forecasted increases in sectors including those of the rubber, iron and steel industry, metal construction structure, electronic machinery, audio-and-video electronic devices, data storage and processing products, and precision equipment.

However, those surveyed thought that the sectors of animal feed, printing, oil-and-coal products as well as mechanical equipment manufacturing and maintenance would continue to shrink, according to the institute.

According to statistics released by the institute, Taiwan exports in January hit 21 billion U.S. dollars, registering a drop of 16.8 percent compared with the same month of the previous year. Its imports hit 20.6 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 11.9 percent.

The institute partially attributed the decline in January to less human activity during Spring Festival, when most people have days off and manufacturers halt production.