People’s Party, Natthaphong lead in NIDA, Rajabhat polls

The second round of two major public opinion surveys has indicated that the People’s party and its leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut are the most favoured among voters ahead of the general election on February 8.

The National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) surveyed 2,500 respondents nationwide and released the results of its second-round poll on public support for prime ministerial candidates and political parties if an election were held today.

The survey, conducted between January 23 and 27, found that 29.08% of respondents named Natthaphong of the People’s party as their preferred candidate for prime minister, followed by Anutin Charnvirakul of Bhumjaithai at 22.24%. Abhisit Vejjajiva ranked third with 12.52%, while Yodchanan Wongsawat of Pheu Thai ranked fourth with 12.12%.

Meanwhile 9.36% said they had not yet found a suitable candidate.

In terms of party preference for constituency MPs, the People’s party ranked first with 33.56%, followed by Bhumjaithai at 22.76%, Pheu Thai at 16.92% and the Democrats at 12.76%.

For party-list MPs, the People’s party again ranked first with 34.20%, followed by Bhumjaithai at 22.60%, Pheu Thai at 16.20%, the Democrats at 13.20% and the Economic Party at 3.40%.

In the Rajabhat University public opinion survey, conducted among 11,700 respondents between January 19 and 25, Natthaphong of the People’s party also ranked first in the prime ministerial preference category with 36.7%, followed by Yodchanan Wongsawat of Pheu Thai at 15.9% and Anutin Charnvirakul of Bhumjaithai at 15.2%.

In terms of party preference, 38.8% of respondents chose the People’s party, followed by Pheu Thai at 17.9% and Bhumjaithai at 15.6%.

Adisorn Naowanondha, president of the Council of Rajabhat University Presidents of Thailand, said the survey data were collected from members of the general public nationwide, covering all occupations, age groups and generations, but excluding Rajabhat university students.

He said the survey found that economic livelihood issues were the most influential factor in voters’ decision-making, followed by corruption.

The Rajabhat Poll also found that 67.8% of eligible voters supported holding a referendum to amend the constitution.

The survey showed that 71.6% of eligible voters intended to vote for both constituency MPs and party-list MPs from the same party.

Regarding voter readiness, 70.9% of respondents said they could remember the party and candidate numbers of those for whom they would vote for, while about 29% said they could not.

The survey indicated that voters placed greater emphasis on party policies than on individual candidates. For party-list MP voting, 47.1% based their decision primarily on party policies, followed by past performance.

For constituency MP voting, 45.3% cited party policies as the main factor, followed by candidate qualifications.

The second round of the Rajabhat Poll showed that support for Pheu Thai increased by 5.4%, while support for Bhumjaithai declined by 5.7%. Support for the People’s party remained stable and increased slightly.

Among prime ministerial candidates, Natthaphong’s popularity increased by 6.7%, while Anutin’s declined by 9.2%. Support for Yodchanan also increased.

Regionally, the People’s party received the highest support in the North, Central, Eastern and Northeastern regions. Pheu Thai was most popular in the Western region, while the Democrats led in the South.

Trends in support for prime ministerial candidates mirrored party popularity, with Natthaphong ranking first in the North, Central, Eastern and Northeastern regions. Yodchanan ranked highest in the West, while Abhisit Vejjajiva was the most popular choice in the South.