PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2023 at 04:30
The majority of Thais are satisfied with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s performance, despite his frequent trips abroad in his first two months in office, a survey conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) found.
The survey, also known as the Nida Poll, was carried out over the telephone between Oct 24-25 among 1,310 people aged 18 and over from various socioeconomic backgrounds. It shows that lengthy absences overseas have done nothing to dent his popularity.
When asked if the respondents have been following news of Mr Srettha’s trips abroad, 39% said they have not, while 24.4% said only trips in which he met important international figures.
While the PM was on an overseas trip, about 22% of respondents surveyed said they were interested by the PM’s dress sense (he has attracted attention for his choice of colourful socks in particular), followed by his media remarks (20%), posture and/or body language (19%), reception by host country (10%), while about 2% said they weren’t interested.
Asked whether they were satisfied with Mr Srettha’s overall performance as prime minister during the past two months, 55.2% of respondents said “yes”, while about 36.8% said they were moderately satisfied, while 18.4% said they were highly satisfied.
By contrast, 26.9% said they were not satisfied and 13.74% said they were extremely not satisfied. The rest, 4.12%, had no answer or were not interested.
Mr Srettha acknowledged the results of the poll and thanked the public for their appraisal of his performance over the past two months. He said he is always ready to receive feedback and suggestions from people. He said the government will continue to work for the benefit of the people. The PM said he is ready to work hard, adding he and his ministers do not stop working on weekends.