Suan Dusit Poll highlights entertainment venue fire safety concerns
A nationwide survey of 1,121 people found concern over entertainment-venue safety, with respondents calling for urgent inspections and stricter enforcement.
- A Suan Dusit Poll found that a vast majority of respondents (79.05%) believe ineffective fire-protection systems are a primary cause of entertainment venue fires.
- The survey indicates a strong public demand for government action, with 80.63% calling for urgent nationwide inspections of such venues.
- The poll highlights a significant lack of public confidence, as over half of respondents (50.94%) have little faith that the government can effectively raise safety standards.
The tragedy of an entertainment venue fire has shaken public confidence on a wide scale.
Suan Dusit University, through Suan Dusit Poll, has now published the results of a nationwide opinion survey on the issue.
Conducted online and through fieldwork among 1,121 respondents from Tuesday (July 14, 2026) to Friday (July 17, 2026), the survey sought to reflect public views on safety standards and government performance.
Poll points to failed fire-protection systems as the root cause
Data from the Suan Dusit Poll showed that 42.64% of respondents described their level of concern about the current safety of entertainment venues in Thailand as ‘high’.
Visitor behaviour has begun to change, with 37.73% saying they sometimes check fire exits or fire-protection equipment when entering such venues.
Asked about the cause of the fire, 79.05% of respondents believed ineffective fire-protection systems were a major cause of the problem.
A total of 80.63%, therefore, called on the government to urgently inspect entertainment venues nationwide.
However, 50.94% said they had relatively little confidence that the government could genuinely raise safety standards at these establishments.
Academic urges loopholes closed and laws strictly enforced
Pornpan Buathong, President of Suan Dusit Poll, said the losses from the incident had again prompted the public to question gaps in law enforcement, directly affecting confidence in government oversight.
She said laws could be effective only when state officials enforced them seriously and consistently.
Asst Prof Sorasak Munsilp, Head of the Bachelor of Laws Programme at the School of Law and Politics, Suan Dusit University, added that the incident had severely affected public sentiment in Thailand and reflected laxity in the work of state officials, whether in enforcing building-control laws or laws governing entertainment venues.
Agencies directly responsible, such as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Royal Thai Police, must conduct strict, continuous inspections of high-risk premises, rather than doing so only in response to short-term news coverage.
Speed up relief and prevent history from repeating itself
Assistant Professor Sorasak also stressed that the government must act immediately to provide relief to those affected and ensure compensation is paid as quickly as possible.
He added that if inspecting agencies found state officials had neglected or failed in their duties, the state must punish them decisively to establish the proper standard.
The survey reflected a clear public call for the government to draw lessons from the entertainment-venue fire, bring fire-protection systems up to international standards and ensure that officials across all agencies work transparently to prevent another such tragedy in the future.
