A majority of people think that the overall economy has worsened during 2018, but believe the situation will improve in 2019, according to the result of an opinion survey by the National Institute for Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
The poll was carried out on Nov 26-27 on 1,250 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country to compile their opinions on the economic situation after the government's economic stimulus programmes.
A majority, 61.91%, of the respondents said the economy has been in a downturn this year; 27.12% said the country's overall economic situation has remained the same; and 10.96% said the situation has generally improved.
Asked what policies political parties running in the next general election should use in order to stimulate the economy, 57.60% cited subsidies for farm produce and development of agricultural products; 23.12% an increase in wages; 22.00% vocational development to address the problems of unemployment and unofficial employment; 21.44% price controls; 14.00% tax reduction; 10.96% tourism promotion and more financial aid for low-income earners; 6.80% support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and start-up costs; 5.76% promotion of potential products for export; 4.26% distribution of growth to cities in all regions; and 3.28% the development of major infrastructure.
Asked whether they think the Thai economy will improve after the election in 2019, a majority - 60.16% - said "yes", reasoning that an elected government will probably have better administration and development plans to draw more foreign investment; 31.60% believe the Thai economy will remain unchanged as solving economic problems is time-consuming; 4.56% believe the situation will get worse because most problems are intractable; and 3.68% were uncertain or had no comment.
