BANGKOK, THAILAND – Most people in Thailand saw rising living costs as their most urgent problem and expected swift relief from the new government, according to a national survey.
Rising costs emerge as top worry
The National Statistical Office (NSO) reported that 69.9 percent of respondents named high living costs as their main concern. This share was higher than the 63.8 percent who felt that their income did not keep up with their expenses.
Other frequently cited burdens included household debt at 43.1 percent. Inadequate state social benefits were mentioned by 25.4 percent, while 25.2 percent pointed to falling agricultural prices.
How the survey was conducted
The nationwide survey ran from 22 to 28 January and was designed to capture expectations of the new government. Data were collected through personal interviews in private households.
In total, 6,000 adults took part in the survey. The NSO said the findings reflected views across the country.
Public calls for rapid relief
A narrow majority of 50.5 percent wanted the government to act quickly to ease everyday worries and reduce the cost burden. Job creation and higher incomes were listed as further priorities by 10.8 percent of respondents.
An additional 9.1 percent called for solutions to the debt problem, while 5.8 percent asked for better welfare and quality of life. Another 5.1 percent highlighted the fight against corruption as an important task.
Debt: lower costs, lower interest, higher income
On the issue of indebtedness, 44.2 percent said the first step had to be lowering living costs to prevent new debts from piling up. At the same time, 44 percent supported lower interest rates for both formal and informal loans.
Meanwhile, 42.2 percent stressed that debt regulations would have little impact without clearly higher incomes. For many respondents, income growth was therefore seen as a crucial part of any debt solution.
Credit support and restructuring by ability to pay
Additional measures mentioned in the survey included low-interest loans for low-income earners, backed by 30.8 percent of respondents. Many saw targeted credit support as a way to ease pressure on vulnerable households.
Furthermore, 32.2 percent favoured restructuring debt so that repayments matched the real repayment capacity of borrowers. Respondents signalled support for repayment plans aligned with actual financial conditions.
High bar for government and ministers
For the new government, expectations regarding how it governed were particularly high. A total of 80.9 percent demanded transparency and accountability as the top guiding principles.
Other important expectations were listening to the population, cited by 59.7 percent, as well as timely and effective decisions, at 46.7 percent. In addition, 31 percent wanted less political manoeuvring in favour of the common good, while 29.8 percent called for rapid responses in crises.
What qualities cabinet members should have
Survey participants named honesty, transparency and responsibility as the most important qualities for ministers, at 67.7 percent. These traits were placed ahead of other criteria.
This was followed by a desire for freedom from illegal entanglements, cited by 46.7 percent, and a clean criminal record, at 42.2 percent. Suitable expertise and experience were mentioned by 39 percent, while 31.6 percent emphasised the ability to solve problems effectively.
NSO to keep tracking public mood
The survey also showed how strongly qualifications were weighted in public opinion. In total, 90.4 percent said that the suitability of ministers was important to highly important for the governance of the state.
Ekapong Rimcharone, director-general of the NSO, placed the survey within the agency’s Quick Survey programme.
“The survey is part of the Quick Survey programme, through which the agency intends to continue monitoring public opinion on the government’s performance.”
said Ekapong Rimcharone, director-general of the NSO.