People find the co-payment programme, one of the measures taken by the government to cushion impacts from Covid-19, most favourable to them, according to the result of an opinion survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll was conducted online during Oct 18-21 on 1,309 people throughout the country who have participated in at least one of the government's Covid relief programmes.
Asked which programme they had joined in the second half of 2021, with each respondent allowed to choose more than one answer, 78.61% picked the phase-3 co-payment (July-Dec 2021); 34.76% reduction of electricity and water bills; 29.79% the 2,000 baht assistance per student paid to parents or guardians; 25.82% compensation for insurers under Sections 33, 39 and 40 of the Social Security Act in provinces in the dark-red zone; and 22.46% tuition fee reduction for students.
A majority -- 62.10% -- of the respondents said the relief programmes were quite helpful, 31.39% very helpful and 6.51% not helpful.
Asked to compare their monthly expenses before and after the relief measures were introduced, 43.45% said their expenses were about the same as before; 36.70% less than before; and 19.85% more than before.
In terms of satisfaction with the programmes, 49.81% said they were moderately satisfied; 22.84% highly satisfied; 18.77% not satisfied; and 8.58% not interested.
Asked to give their order of satisfaction with the five programmes, the co-payment scheme came first (78.66%), followed by reduction of electricity and water bills (76.70%); 2,000 baht assistance per student paid to parents or guardians (74.85%); tuition fee reduction (73.73%); and compensation for insurers under Sections 33, 39 and 40 of the Social Security Act (71.74%).
Asked what other relief measures the government should take, 75.25% recommended control of goods prices and the cost of living; 70.61% reduction of fuel prices; 58.16% solving people's debt problems; 54.52% equal compensation payment for all households; and 51.20% a debt moratorium.