One-third of Thais ‘very angry’ if handout cancelled

People holding state welfare cards wait in line outside the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in Muang Buri Ram in Thailand's Buri Ram province to withdraw money on Sept 26. (Photo By Surachai Piraksa)
People holding state welfare cards wait in line outside the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in Muang Buri Ram in Thailand's Buri Ram province to withdraw money on Sept 26. (Photo By Surachai Piraksa)

More than one third of Thais say they will be angry if they don’t get the 10,000-baht handout in the second phase of the digital wallet scheme, an opinion poll has found.

The National Institute of Development Administration poll, or Nida Poll, asked 2,000 respondents nationwide on Oct 7-9 for their opinions on how the 10,000-baht cash payment should be distributed in the second phase of the government’s economic stimulus handout programme.

The survey found 56.95% of the respondents were eligible handout recipients, 23.95% were ineligible, 17.00 % had already received the 10,000 baht and 2.10% said they were not sure if they were eligible.

The pollster asked the eligible respondents and the "not sure" group to respond on four payment scenarios as follows:

1. The government decides to cancel the second phase of the stimulus handout — offering neither cash nor digital money.

41.58% said they would be very angry

34.38% not angry at all

14.56% fairly angry

9.14% slightly angry

0.34% did not know or were not interested

2. The government distributes the handout in the form of digital money but in an amount less than 10,000 baht, such as 5,000 baht.

40.30% not angry at all

24.47% very angry

21.25% fairly angry

13.64% slightly angry

0.34% did not know or were not interested

3. The government offers 10,000 baht in full in digital money.

60.54% not angry at all

17.53% slightly angry

12.11% fairly angry

9.31% very angry

0.51% did not know or were not interested

4. The government pays in two instalments of 5,000 baht in digital money.

60.88% not angry at all

20.07% slightly angry

10.58% fairly angry

8.30% very angry

0.17% did not know or were not interested

Vocabulary

  • eligible: allowed by rules or laws to do something or to receive something - มีสิทธิ
  • handout: an amount of money or goods giving to people who need them - การให้ทาน
  • recipients: people who receive something - ผู้รับ
  • respondent (noun): someone who answers questions - ผู้ตอบคำถาม/แบบสำรวจ
  • scenario (noun): a description of possible actions or events in the future - การสมมติสภาพที่เป็นไปได้
  • stimulus: a set of programmes, especially government spending programmes, designed to start an economy growing again - แผนกระตุ้นหรือฟื้นฟูเศรษฐกิจ
  • survey: the act of asking for and recording information - การสำรวจ, การหาข้อมูล

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