Siam Techno Poll reveals Thais are making less compared to 2022 and do not have enough to spend. Minimum wage workers and sellers are all struggling, they do not have enough for bills and daily costs. Most cannot see the future and hope the government will help. The topic of the poll is “Consumer Confidence Index”. The poll asked 1,035 citizens aged over 18 across the country on 20-28 October 2023. When asked how their income compares to last year 38.41% state it has gotten worse while 36.74% state their income has not changed and 24.85% state their income has increased.
When asked about their household financial status compared to last year 38.41% stated their household income has decreased, 36.74% stated it has remained the same, and 24.85% has improved. When the question focuses on the overall picture of having a business in Thailand and the overall financial status of the people in the next 12 months, 42.72% stated they feel the overall situation will improve, 38.16% stated they feel it will remain the same, and 19.12% stated they fear it will get worse. Next, the poll asked how the people viewed Thailand in the next 5 years on the economy and job availability, 59.14% stated they believe it will continue to improve and 40.86% stated they believe there will be a rise in the unemployment rate and the economy will drop.
The poll then asks how the people rate their current financial happiness out of 10, the average score is 5.55. This is just over half because most people are now just living day by day. Somkuan, a minimum wage worker stated he struggles to have enough money. Somkuan normally shares one box of food with his family. They are never full and they just hope to live through the day. Sometimes he notices people who are unemployed have more to eat than his family. He hopes for money from the government, and realizes this money will probably disappear fast but it is better than nothing.
FB Caption: 38.41% state they are making less money when compared to 2022.
Credit: Khaosod