People at a shopping centre in Bangkok, Thailand (Photo: EPA/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) - A majority of Thai people expect to see improvement in the economy after the next election tentatively scheduled for February 24, 2019, according to a poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA).
The poll was conducted on December 11-12 on people aged 40 and above of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country.
Asked for their expectations towards the forthcoming election, the majority - 62.64 percent - said they expect the country's overall economic situation to improve, 10.16 percent hope the country will become democratic, and 8.8 percent want to see more occupational training and lower unemployment.
Six percent expect higher-quality education, 5.68 percent expect Thailand's image to improve in the eyes of the international community, and 3.28 percent wish to see improvement in the quality of life and safety levels, while 2.48 percent hope for more equal distribution of state welfare and services.
When being questioned about what policies they want to see from political parties taking part in the election, 72.56 percent say they want them to solve economic problems and household debt, 37.6 percent expect them to control goods prices and reduce monopolies, and 30.16 percent hope the new government will enhance the fight against corruption and misuse of power.
27.44 percent of the interviewees expect political parties to solve the problems of drugs and crime, and 19.60 percent hope for raised educational standards.
Regarding the issues most unacceptable to them, 47.76 percent mentioned an economic slump, 16.24 percent corruption and prevalence of "dark influences", 11.52 percent political conflicts among people in the country; 10.88 percent social disparities, 4.56 percent low-quality education, and 4.08 percent a military coup.
Another poll by Super Poll showed that the majority of 1,094 people asked are yet to have their final decisions on which political force they will support in the upcoming election.-VNA
VNA
