KPI Poll Reveals Majority of Bangkok Residents Want Honest, Clear-Minded New Governor
A King Prajadhipok Institute poll of 1,600 Bangkok residents shows they want the next governor to be honest and capable of implementing clear policies, with flooding, safety, and air pollution cited as top persistent urban problems.
On May 15, the King Prajadhipok Institute (KPI Poll) released survey findings on Bangkok residents' priorities for the city and desired qualifications for a new Bangkok governor. The survey was conducted between May 8-11 among 1,600 residents aged 18 and above across all districts of Bangkok. Key findings include: 1) When asked what qualities matter most in selecting a new governor, 28.2% prioritized honesty, transparency, and accountability, while 28.0% wanted someone with clear policies and proven implementation ability—nearly tied for first. Other priorities included understanding Bangkok residents' problems (16.7%), tangible track record (8.9%), management experience (4.0%), modern innovative thinking (3.6%), cross-sector collaboration skills (3.0%), affiliation with trustworthy political parties (1.7%), with 5.9% citing other factors. The data shows residents don't just want good image or communication skills—more than half demand a new governor combining both trustworthiness and real capability. 2) Residents identified three major persistent city problems: flooding (74.3%), public safety concerns (73.3%), and PM 2.5 air pollution (73.2%), followed by traffic and public transport (66.1%) and waste management (65.8%). Bangkok residents view these as fundamental quality-of-life issues that remain unresolved. They don't want just grand projects but cities with solid basic infrastructure, as flooding, dust, safety, traffic, and garbage reflect overall municipal management. 3) Urban problems affect Bangkok's zones unequally, with outer districts bearing the heaviest burden. Outer districts report nearly universal concern with urban problems: 89.6% cite flooding issues, 87.8% traffic problems, 85.9% air pollution, 82.0% safety concerns, and 74.2% waste management issues. Middle districts also show high concern levels (86.3% flooding, 75.3% pollution, 73.4% safety, 72.7% traffic), while inner districts show lower percentages, particularly for traffic (47.2%) and flooding (54.4%). Bangkok's challenge isn't just solving citywide problems but addressing inequality in urban experience, as different districts face different severity levels. Solutions shouldn't apply uniformly across the entire city but require area-specific policy design.
