BANGKOK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A vast majority of Thais were concerned over the new government's ability to manage the economic fallout from a prolonged geopolitical conflict that drives up energy costs, a survey showed on Friday.
According to an online poll conducted by the King Prajadhipok's Institute, 82.1 percent of respondents reported having "little to no confidence" in the capacity of the incoming administration to handle looming economic shocks if the Middle East conflict drags on.
Among 1,528 respondents sampled between March 30 and April 2, only 12.8 percent expressed confidence in the Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's government, while 5.1 percent were unsure.
A separate poll by the same institute revealed how the public wants the government to handle the energy crisis.
Overall, 39 percent of respondents said they preferred a limited hybrid approach: simultaneously implementing temporary price freezes and directing state funds toward highly affected groups, such as low-income earners, farmers, and the transport sector.
Another 30.7 percent favored a blanket, temporary energy price freeze for the public, while only 11.1 percent supported letting market mechanisms dictate prices while focusing purely on long-term measures.
Despite the potential drain on state coffers, the public appeared highly tolerant of aggressive energy subsidies, showed the survey conducted via interviews with 2,000 adults nationwide between March 27 and 30.
When asked if they would accept diverting funds from other state policies this year to manage short-term energy costs, 38.6 percent said the trade-off is acceptable because energy prices directly impact the vast majority.
Another 25.3 percent agreed, but they insisted on strictly restricting such spending to brief crisis periods. ■