Poll: 38% Doubt Anutin Government Will Survive

Nearly 38% of respondents in a new NIDA Poll believe Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's government will not survive a series of political and economic challenges, with alleged corruption in local government recruitment identified as the biggest threat to its stability.

The National Institute of Development Administration released the survey, titled "So Many Problems, Will It Survive?", on Sunday. The poll was conducted from 18–20 August among 1,310 people aged 18 and over across Thailand.

Asked which issues could affect the stability of the Anutin government, 62.75% cited alleged corruption in local government civil service recruitment examinations, the most commonly selected concern. Another 55.88% pointed to allegations of collusion in the Senate election, while 42.29% cited scrutiny by MPs over the Khao Kradong land dispute.

Other concerns included volatility in energy prices, cited by 37.33%; the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, 33.36%; the government's plan to spend funds under a 400-billion-baht borrowing decree, 28.78%; and fluctuations in agricultural commodity prices, 28.17%. Restrictions on gun ownership were cited by 25.27% of respondents, while 24.27% pointed to stricter eligibility requirements for the 2026 state welfare card programme.

Another 22.98% cited illegal activities by foreigners in Thailand, while 18.17% pointed to scrutiny of the Digital Economy and Society Ministry's TH-AI Passport project. Only 5.34% said none of the issues appeared serious enough to threaten the government's stability.

Asked how well the government could deal with the challenges, 39.69% said it would be able to handle some of them, while 31.99% said it would not be able to handle any. Another 16.26% believed the government could handle all of the issues, while 11.68% said it could handle most of them. Just 0.38% did not know or declined to answer.

On whether the government itself would survive the challenges, 37.86% said it "definitely would not survive", the largest single group. Another 26.03% believed the government would survive but be seriously weakened, while 17.94% said it would survive with only minor damage. A further 17.71% believed the government would comfortably survive, while 0.46% did not know or declined to answer.

The poll also asked respondents about Anutin's recent gesture of bowing and paying respect at the lap of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The largest group, 41.45%, regarded it simply as a younger person showing respect to an elder, while 29.62% described it as political theatre. Another 21.60% said the incident showed that there are "no permanent friends or permanent enemies in politics", while 17.48% believed Anutin was seeking Thaksin's support.

Some 12.21% said the gesture demonstrated Thaksin's continuing political influence, while 9.62% saw it as a signal that the Pheu Thai Party would continue to support Anutin. Meanwhile, 9.31% said they disapproved of the gesture.