Most people believe the government's 10,000-baht digital cash handout should be extended to all Thais regardless of their income or savings, according to the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida).
The poll, carried out over the telephone between Oct 31 and Nov 2, surveyed the opinions of 1,310 respondents aged 18 and older from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
When asked what criteria should be used to determine eligibility for the cash bonus, about 50% of respondents said the handout should be given to all Thais regardless of income, while about 26% believed it should only be given to individuals with low incomes and/or state welfare cardholders.
About 14.6% said those earning 50,000 baht a month and/or those with savings of over 500,000 baht should be left out, while about 8% said those earning 25,000 baht a month and/or with savings of 100,000 baht and above should be excluded.
When asked where the cash bonus could be spent, about 70% said the money should be accepted anywhere in the country; 14.5% said it should be limited to the recipient's home province; 13.5% said it should be limited to the district where the recipient's address is registered, while 2% said it should only be accepted within a 4-kilometre radius of that spot.
Asked about time limits for spending the cash bonus, 62.6% said within six months; 37% said a year, while about 0.3% either didn't answer or weren't interested.
Under the scheme proposed by the Pheu Thai Party during its election campaign, all citizens aged 16 and over would be given 10,000 baht in cash that would be wired into their digital wallet accounts. The bonus is meant to be spent within six months in stores within four kilometres of the recipient's registered address.
The scheme has raised a lot of questions, particularly about the source of funding, which the government has yet to clearly address.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said further details regarding the project, including how it will be funded, will all be announced on Friday.