‘Good health’ tops wishes most Thais make when praying, poll finds

The poll was recently conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) on a sample group of 1,310 Thai Buddhists aged 18 and above.

The participants came from different parts of Thailand and had different educational levels, occupations and incomes.

The poll was conducted via phone calls and the accuracy level stood at 97%, NIDA said.

Here are some of the questions and responses:

• What do you most pray for?

51.30%: Good health/recovery from illness

46.56%: Luck and money

32.06%: Work-related matters

24.66%: Happy family

15.88%: Ask for nothing

7.10%: Success in business

6.72%: Safety in travel

5.80%: Do not worship

3.89%: Longevity

3.66%: Love

3.28%: Peace

2.90%: Academic success

(Respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer.)

• Are your wishes fulfilled?

40.45%: Don’t care either way

38.50%: Yes, they were fulfilled

20.96%: Never fulfilled

0.09%: No response

• Are you confident your wishes will be fulfilled?

44.81%: Quite confident

29.11%: Very confident

20.76%: Not confident

5.32%: Not confident at all

• Have you ever worshipped anyone else other than Buddha?

48.95%: Occasionally

34.93%: Never

9.23%: Always

6.89%: Often

• Do you believe in taking oaths?

66%: Yes

23.13%: Not quite

17.97%: Very much

12.88%: Not at all

1.39%: No answer

• Do you believe in the power of amulets?

43.31%: Yes

28.47%: Not quite

14.41%: Very much

12.63%: Not at all

1.18%: No answer

• Do you believe in ghosts?

41.18%: Yes

30.76%: Not quite

14.24%: Very much

12.29%: Not at all

1.53%: No answer

• Do you believe in fortune-telling?

35.25%: Yes

33.56%: Not quite

22.03%: Not at all

7.37%:Very much

1.79%: No answer

• Do you believe in sacred tattoos?

33.56%: Not quite

31.44%: Not at all

26.36%: Quite

5.34%: Very much

3.30%: No answer

• Do you believe in magic?

32.71%: Not quite

32.03%: Yes

26.69%: Not at all

6.61%:Very much

1.96%: No answer.