Thai voters favour businessmen, soldiers as next PM: survey
Most Thai voters prefer businessmen or soldiers as the next PM, with many ready to back candidates from new parties, a Nida Poll finds.
An opinion survey has found that most Thai voters prefer either a businessman or a soldier to become the next prime minister after the upcoming election.
The survey was carried out by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida Poll) among 1,310 respondents from across the country on August 25–26. All respondents are at least 18 years old.
Under the topic “Are you interested in a PM and new party?”, the survey found that businessmen topped the list of preferred professions, followed by soldiers and then national politicians.
It also found that most voters would support candidates from new parties with no current MPs, in both constituency-based and party-list elections.
The results, released on Sunday, showed the following:
Professions preferred to become the next prime minister (multiple answers allowed):
- 32.44%: Businessmen who own large businesses
- 24.05%: Soldiers
- 19.54%: National politicians
- 16.26%: Lawyers, public prosecutors, judges
- 16.11%: Government officials
- 14.89%: Corporate executives (who are not owners or shareholders)
- 14.89%: Academics
- 12.75%: Owners of small and medium enterprises
- 11.83%: Local politicians
- 7.18%: Freelancers, influencers, net idols, writers
- 6.18%: NGO officials, volunteers
- 4.81%: Police
- 3.21%: Market vendors
- 3.05%: Doctors, nurses
- 2.82%: Tambon chiefs, village heads
- 1.98%: Private-sector employees
- 0.84%: Entertainers, singers, actors and actresses
- 0.61%: High-society figures
- 3.13%: No comment
Preferred age range of the next prime minister:
- 65.57%: Generation X (45–60 years old)
- 24.96%: Millennials/Generation Y (29–44 years old)
- 9.24%: Baby boomers (61–79 years old)
- 0.23%: Silent Generation (80–100 years old)
Would you vote for constituency candidates from new parties with no current MPs?
- 32.21%: Still uncertain, but likely to vote for them
- 31.78%: Definitely would vote for them
- 17.48%: Definitely would not vote for them
- 11.15%: Not sure at all
- 7.40%: Still uncertain, but likely not to vote for them
For the party-list election, would you vote for new parties with no current MPs?
- 32.75%: Definitely would vote for them
- 32.06%: Still uncertain, but likely to vote for them
- 18.09%: Definitely would not vote for them
- 11.15%: Not sure at all
- 5.95%: Still uncertain, but likely not to vote for them
