NIDA Poll finds 77.49% of Thais want law applied strictly to Israelis

NIDA Poll’s September 8–10, 2026 survey found that 77.49% of 1,164 respondents who had heard reports or had direct experience of alleged misconduct by Israelis in Thailand wanted officials to enforce the law strictly.

NIDA Poll, the polling centre of the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), interviewed 1,410 people aged 18 and over who were eligible to vote in Bangkok, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Surat Thani, Phuket and Mae Hong Son. Questions about objections and proposed measures were put to the 1,164 participants who had heard reports or had direct experience.

NIDA Poll titled the survey “Jewish people”, but the reported questions concerned Israelis in Thailand. The findings describe respondents’ perceptions and reported experiences, rather than establishing that the conduct cited occurred or amounted to an offence.

Shorter stays for Israelis draw support from 45.45% of follow-up respondents

Among NIDA Poll’s 1,164 follow-up respondents, 45.45% favoured reducing the length of time Israelis are permitted to stay in Thailand, while 38.49% wanted steps to ensure that the Israeli embassy strictly oversees the behaviour of its nationals in the country.

Within NIDA Poll’s 1,164-person follow-up group, 26.46% thought Thai people should work together to oppose alleged inappropriate or unlawful behaviour by Israelis in Thailand, and 23.54% wanted the government to consider the national security implications of expanding Israeli communities. Another 17.53% favoured joint opposition to those who assist or support such behaviour.

Deporting Israelis who engage in unlawful behaviour was supported by 6.62% of NIDA Poll’s 1,164 follow-up respondents. In the same group, 1.20% wanted reports checked for accuracy and to establish whether Israelis were responsible, while 1.12% warned against excessively harsh measures because of the possible effect on tourism.

NIDA Poll reported that 2.75% of its 1,164 follow-up respondents gave other suggestions on addressing alleged Israeli misconduct in Thailand. Suggestions included avoiding excessively harsh action because it could affect Thai workers in Israel, tightening screening and entry controls, and taking no action. Other respondents in this category urged restraint because they viewed Israel as a longstanding good ally of Thailand or feared harm to bilateral trade and investment, or called for forgiveness on the grounds that foreigners did not understand Thai laws and culture.

Respect for Thai law tops concerns in NIDA Poll’s follow-up sample

Among NIDA Poll’s 1,164 respondents who had heard reports or had direct experience of alleged Israeli misconduct in Thailand, a lack of respect for the law was the most frequently cited objection, at 71.22%. Impolite speech and displays of contempt towards Thai people were cited by 46.39%, followed by a lack of respect for Thai culture at 45.96%, local communities’ way of life at 40.03%, and personal and public spaces at 36.43%.

NIDA Poll’s 1,164-person follow-up group also raised concerns about Israelis’ alleged use of Thai nominees to hold land, cited by 31.44%, and to own businesses, cited by 29.04%. Behaviour that could lead to racial, ethnic or religious conflict was cited by 20.02% of the same group.

Community-related objections among NIDA Poll’s 1,164 follow-up respondents included establishing a cemetery for Israelis in Thailand without consulting local residents, at 19.93%, and expanding Israeli communities in particular areas, at 18.47%. Visa overstays were cited by 16.41%, while 10.48% objected to operating businesses or taking occupations reserved for Thai nationals.

Further objections concerning Israelis in Thailand among NIDA Poll’s 1,164 follow-up respondents included opening premises for religious ceremonies, at 10.22%, working in jobs not covered by work permits, at 9.54%, and operating “zero-dollar” businesses, at 9.36%. By contrast, 2.41% of the group reported no dissatisfaction, while 1.98% were unsure whether the reports they had heard were true.

Media reports dominate awareness of alleged Israeli misconduct in Thailand

Across NIDA Poll’s full sample of 1,410 respondents, 76.38% said they had heard about alleged inappropriate behaviour or unlawful acts by Israelis in Thailand through mainstream or social media. Another 17.45% had neither heard such reports nor had direct experience, while 5.11% reported first-hand experience.

NIDA Poll also found that 4.33% of all 1,410 respondents had heard accounts of alleged Israeli misconduct in Thailand from people with direct experience, while 3.48% had heard accounts from people without direct experience.

NIDA Poll used multi-stage probability sampling

NIDA Poll selected the 1,410 respondents through multi-stage probability sampling from its master sample database and collected responses by telephone. Participants spanned all educational levels, occupations and income groups. The pollster specified a margin of error not exceeding 0.05 at a confidence level of 97.0%.

By registered domicile, 57.94% of NIDA Poll’s 1,410 respondents were in Bangkok, 7.66% in Chachoengsao, 16.74% in Chonburi, 4.33% in Phuket, 2.41% in Mae Hong Son and 10.92% in Surat Thani. Men accounted for 46.45% of the full sample and women for 53.55%.