Thais struggling with rising prices : Survey
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Most respondents, 61.3 per cent, of a poll on the current cost of living said they were not confident in the government's measures to handle the country's rising cost of living, according to Bangkok University poll.
Only 38.7 per cent of the respondents thought otherwise.
The survey on “People’s Reflections on Current Costs of Living” was conducted among 1,203 people in metropolitan Bangkok, with 76.1 per cent of respondents saying that the prices of current consumer goods impact their living expenses and the wellbeing of their families, while 23.9 per cent said they didn’t felt the pinch.
But more than half - 53.2 per cent - said that they could not make ends meet, and more than one in five - 22.3 per cent - needed to use their savings for day-to-day expenses. Meanwhile, 16.4 per cent said they needed loans or borrowed money from others to make ends meet.
The poll found that 14.5 per cent said they had to seek a second job or work overtime to boost their income.
In response to rising goods prices, 35.5 per cent said they were spending money more carefully, 23.2 per cent said they only bought necessities, while 16.2 per cent said they simply spent and bought less.
However, when asked about Yingluck government’s performance, the respondents were evenly split, with 50.1 per cent saying the government paid attention to solving the cost of living problem while 49.9 per cent said it did not.
Nearly one-third, 29.3 per cent, said they wanted the government to keep goods prices under control to prevent further increases while 17.3 per cent suggested the prime minister herself should look into the problem.
