Most people worried by ongoing protests: poll

A majority of people are worried by the ongoing anti-government protests by the People's Group, saying they fear possible interference by third parties to inflame the situation, according to the result of an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.

The poll was conducted on Oct 19-20 on 1,336 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country to compile their opinions on the protests which began on Oct 14.

To the question whether they thought the protests could cause divisiveness and violence in society, a majority -- 58.69% -- said "yes",  with 34.21% saying they feared there would be violent clashes between groups of people of opposing views and 24.28% worried there could be interference by third parties, as has happened in the past, since some members of the People's Group appeared to be adamant and radical.

On the other side, 22.23% said they were not at all worried because the protests were peaceful and they believed they would be short-lived, while 18.41% were not particularly worried, believing that the government would be able to keep the situation under control.

The rest, 0.67%, had no answer or were not interested.

Asked if they had decided whose side they were on in the present political conflict, 36.45% said they were still undecided; 33.46% said they had made a decision; 29.94% said they would rather stay indifferent; and 0.15% had no answer.