Only 27% link Thais Help Thais Plus scheme benefits to government support

Most participants in the Thais Help Thais Plus scheme said it had helped reduce their expenses, but fewer than three in 10 believed the benefits had contributed to their support for the government, according to a NIDA Poll survey.

Among 1,384 respondents who joined the scheme as consumers, business operators or both, 26.81% said the benefits had played a part in their decision to support the government.

The largest group, 33.24%, remained uncertain about how the scheme would affect their position towards the government.

Another 25.43% said they would not support the government under any circumstances, while 14.23% said they already backed it regardless of whether the scheme existed. The remaining 0.29% declined to answer or expressed no interest.

The findings point to a gap between participants’ largely positive assessment of the programme’s economic benefits and its more limited influence on political support.

Economic relief receives stronger ratings

The scheme received its highest approval for helping participants reduce their expenses.

Some 48.92% said it had been quite helpful in cutting costs, while 40.61% believed it had helped a great deal. Together, the two groups accounted for 89.53% of participants.

A further 9.02% said the programme had helped only slightly, while 1.45% believed it had provided no help at all.

Participants also gave broadly positive assessments of the scheme’s effect on income from sales.

Some 42.12% said it had helped a great deal, while 39.52% described it as quite helpful. Another 7.67% said they had received no benefit in this area.

A further 7.51% believed it had provided little help, 2.02% said it had not helped at all, and 1.16% did not answer or did not know.

Asked about the wider economy, 45.09% said the scheme had been quite helpful in stimulating economic activity, while 33.74% believed it had helped a great deal.

Another 15.83% said it had provided little economic stimulus, while 4.62% believed it had provided none. The remaining 0.72% did not answer or did not know.

Most respondents joined as consumers

Of all 1,850 respondents, 71.35% said they had joined Thais Help Thais Plus as members of the public using the programme to buy goods.

Another 1.89% participated as shop owners or business operators, while 1.57% joined both as consumers and participating businesses.

The remaining 25.19%, or 466 respondents, had not joined the scheme.

Among the non-participants, 47.42% said they were not eligible, while 27.04% were not interested in joining.

A further 24.47% said they had missed the registration deadline.

The remaining 1.07% cited other reasons, including not knowing how to register and not owning a smartphone needed for the registration process.

Poll covers 1,850 adults nationwide

The NIDA Poll Centre at the National Institute of Development Administration conducted the survey from July 16 to 21, 2026.

It questioned 1,850 people aged 18 and over from across Thailand, covering different regions, education levels, occupations and income groups.

The survey used probability-based multistage sampling drawn from NIDA Poll’s master sample database. Information was collected through telephone interviews, with an error level not exceeding 0.05 at a confidence level of 97%.

The Northeast accounted for the largest share of respondents at 34.11%, followed by the Central region at 18.59% and the North at 17.74%.

The South represented 13.08% of the sample, the East 8.43% and Bangkok 8.05%.

Women accounted for 52.65% of respondents, while men made up 47.35%.