(10/05/10) -

Most Voters in Thailand Are Satisfied with the Country’s Democracy

The PAD’s Somsak Kosaisuk is the least popular politician in Thailand. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is the most liked.

The PAD’s Somsak Kosaisuk is the least popular politician in Thailand. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is the most liked.

Most voters in Thailand are content with the way democracy operates in their country, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,350 Thai adults who voted in the 2007 General Election, 57 per cent of respondents say they are either “very satisfied” (16%) or “moderately satisfied” (42%) with their country’s democracy.

Conversely, 38 per cent of respondents are dissatisfied with the way Thai democracy works.

Status Quo

Most Thai voters (54%) think the current parliamentary system, with a prime minister and a cabinet, is the best political system for Thailand.

One-in-five respondents (21%) would prefer to see the country adopting a semi-presidential system, with a president in charge of foreign policy and a prime minister managing the domestic agenda. Only six per cent of Thai voters would like to have a fully presidential political system with separate executive and legislative branches.

Political Leadership

The popularity of five different Thai political leaders varies greatly depending on the party affiliations of each respondent.

Among those who voted for the People’s Power Party (PPP)—allied with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra—in the 2007 General Election, Thaksin is the most popular politician. Three-in-five (59%) express a mostly favourable opinion of him.

Former prime minister and PPP leader Samak Sundravej is a close second among PPP voters with 54 per cent, followed by current prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party (PP) with 31 per cent, and Prem Tinsulanonda—current head of the Privy Council—with 26 per cent. Somsak Kosaisuuk of the People’s Alliance for Demcracy (PAD) is last with 21 per cent.

Respondents who voted for the PP in the 2007 ballot rank Prime Minister Abhisit in first place with 85 per cent. Prem is next with 71 per cent. The least liked politicians for Democrat Party voters are Samak (24%), Somsak (22%), and Thaksin (14%).

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From September 15 to September 17, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,350 Thai adults who voted in the 2007 General Election. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.7%. The results have been statistically weighted to ensure a sample representative of the entire 2007 voting population of Thailand. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.