Thais overwhelmingly would vote for a government that takes care of the environment, but few are actually making changes to their own behaviour, according to a study by research firm Marketbuzzz.
The study interviewed 1,000 people, finding that 87% were likelier to vote for a government more focused on the environment.
The most important environmental issues for respondents were air pollution, traffic congestion, climate change and waste management.
Unsurprisingly, those in Bangkok were more apt to list air pollution and traffic as chief concerns.
While respondents said they cared about these issues, fewer than half were actively changing their behaviour to help the environment and about half were trying to reduce their energy consumption at home. Only one-third of respondents said they recycled their waste.
While Thais claim to have taken steps to address environmental concerns, much remains to be done in the way of significant behavioural changes to improve the situation.
Fewer than half of those interviewed said they were actively changing their behaviour to help improve the environment. As an example, only half of the Thais interviewed said they were trying to reduce their energy consumption at home, while one-third were recycling their waste.
Some 46% of respondents said the government was responsible for fixing air pollution, while 42% said the general public was responsible. Just 5% said the private sector was responsible.
"No doubt the recent heightened air pollution levels have had an impact on the importance of the environmental issues, but awareness and information alone won't change behaviour," said Marketbuzzz chief executive Grant Bertoli. "There is no denying that Thai people want more done to address the environmental concerns, and the onus is on the people and the government to take more responsibility in making sure the environment is looked after before it's too late."