Most Thai people are of the opinion that Thai politics in 2023 are likely to remain as chaotic as before but the economy will improve, according to a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
The survey sought to sample public opinion on likely developments this year regarding politics, the economy and Covid-19.
Asked what they thought the political situation in 2023 would be like, compared to 2022, the answers were as follows:
• 45.27% believed it would remain as chaotic as before
• 36.11% thought it would even be more chaotic
• 10.07% thought it would be less chaotic
• 7.86% believed it would not be chaotic at all
• 0.69% had no answer or were not interested
Asked what they thought would occur in the forthcoming general election in 2023, with respondents able to choose more than one answer, the answers were:
• 62.60% said vote-buying would be rampant
• 36.56% said "dark influences" and/or state power would likely be used in political campaigns
• 33.74% said there would be electoral fraud, but the masterminds would not be caught
• 29.39% said the money spent on political canvassing would exceed the limits set by the Election Commission
• 29.39% said there would be some violations of the election law on minor issues
• 20.23% believed there would not be any vote-buying
• 16.95% believed there would be no use of dark influences and/or state power in political campaigns
• 12.82% believed the money spent on political canvassing would stay within the limits set by the Election Commission
• 11.30% said there would not any violations of the election law
• 4.05% believed there would be electoral fraud and the masterminds would be caughta
• 0.53% had no answer or were not interested
When asked what the Thai economic situation would be like in 2023, as compared to 2022:
• 37.25% thought the economic situation would improve
• 34.51% believed it would remain unchanged
• 28.09% thought the situation would deteriorate
• 0.15% had no answer or were not interested
When asked how the Covid-19 situation in Thailand would develop in 2023, compared to 2022:
• 35.57% believed Covid-19 would no longer be something to worry about
• 32.06% thought the Covid-19 virus would be less infectious
• 19.70% thought the Covid-19 situation would stay the same as before
• 12.67% thought Covid-19 would spread more rapidly
The poll was conducted on Jan 3-6 on 1,310 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country.