Most Thais struggling to make ends meet, latest poll finds
More than half of the respondents in a Suan Dusit Poll said their expenses now exceed their income.
Even though Thailand has lifted all Covid-related restrictions and tourists are returning, locals are suffering from rising prices due to inflation and economic recession.
The survey on “expensive products and the poor” was conducted between October 3 and 6 on 1,067 respondents nationwide. Of them, 54.54 per cent said they did not make enough to cover their expenses, while 45.46 said they were fine.
When asked what items were most expensive, 82.96 per cent complained of rising fuel and commuting costs, followed by electricity and water (71.19 per cent), cooking gas (66.38 per cent), cooked food (53.67 per cent) and cooking ingredients (52.64%).
"Rising prices of consumer goods are having a severe impact on people as many were laid off during the pandemic or ended up having to take loans,” Suan Dusit researcher Pornphan Buathong said. “The government needs to step up to tackle this problem and reduce people’s burden as soon as possible.”
As to what can be done, 85.73 per cent said the government should reduce the price of consumer goods, followed by 68.43 per cent demanding cuts in fuel tax, while 56.52 per cent want the government to be more transparent.
When asked about the reason behind rising poverty in Thailand, 80.38 per cent blamed rising product prices, 74.72 per cent put it down to layoffs, and 70.47 per cent said it was dropping purchasing power.
As many as 78.32 per cent said they want the government to launch measures to help people generate revenue in the long term, followed by 77.19 per cent urging the government to be serious about tackling the challenges.
As for whether the government can or will do anything to solve the problems, 59.23 per cent said they don’t believe the authorities will tackle the surging prices, while 77.32 per cent do not expect anything to be done about the rising poor.
