Thais split over confidence in next government’s handling of Iran war fallout

Thais are divided over whether they have confidence in the next government’s ability to deal with the fallout from the war involving Iran, the United States and its ally Israel.

An opinion survey by Suan Dusit University (Suan Dusit Poll) found that 49.26% of respondents said they had confidence in the next government, while 50.74% said they had no confidence in the next administration’s ability to handle the impact of the Middle East crisis.

Following the February 8 general election, the winning Bhumjaithai Party has yet to form a coalition government. It is awaiting the first House meeting on March 14 to elect the House Speaker, who will then forward the nomination of the next prime minister to His Majesty the King for appointment.

The poll surveyed 1,394 respondents through online and field research conducted from March 3 to 6.

When asked whether they had confidence in the next government’s preparedness and measures to deal with the fallout from the Iran war, respondents said:

• 39.10%: Quite confident
• 37.56%: Not very confident
• 13.18%: Not confident at all
• 10.16%: Very confident

Asked what they feared the war would cause, respondents said (multiple answers allowed):

• 78.91%: Rising oil prices
• 69.30%: Higher consumer goods prices and cost of living
• 63.20%: Higher electricity and household energy costs

Asked whether they thought the war would escalate, respondents replied:

• 79.57%: Yes
• 14.14%: No
• 7.29%: Not sure

Asked what lessons they had learned from the Iran war (multiple answers allowed), respondents said:

• 70.16%: The impact of war is not confined to the battlefield, but affects the global economy
• 63.63%: Conflict always leads to deaths and injuries among innocent people
• 54.16%: The government should have clear measures in place to deal promptly with emergency situations