Summary of scores from viewers nationwide after the first debate round: readers ranked Teng-Natthapong as number one in every category, while the cost of living became the major issue the public most wants to hear about in the next round of debate.
Political engagement surged immediately after the debate ended. "Thairath Debate #DebateOneMoreTime Thairath Election 69 Challenges Policies to Lead Thailand Out of the Shadows" On 23 Dec 2023 GMT+7, marking the opening contest before the 2026 election, a Thairath Poll survey found that Natthapong Ruangpanyawut from the People's Party was the politician who impressed viewers most, ranking first overall with 39.46%. He was followed by Yotchanan Wongsawat of the Pheu Thai Party at 22.38%, Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party at 13.87%, and General Rangsee Kitiyantrasap of the Economic Party at 10.18%. This shows that clarity in presentation can significantly influence voters' decisions.
Looking deeper into specific policy issues, for the topic of gray capital and scammers, the People's Party remained the most trusted with 42.02%, followed by Pheu Thai at 20.37%, with the Democrat and Economic Parties scoring comparably at 12.26% and 11.91%, respectively.
Regarding clarity of political stance, Natthapong Ruangpanyawut led decisively with 42.02%, followed by Yotchanan Wongsawat at 21.07% and Abhisit Vejjajiva at 14.61%, indicating that the public places significant importance on political positioning.
On the sensitive issue of the Thai-Cambodian border security, Natthapong Ruangpanyawut again scored highest at 38.22%, with Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate Yotchanan Wongsawat at 20.53%, General Rangsee Kitiyantrasap at 16.38%, and Abhisit Vejjajiva at 11.30%.
However, when asked which issue the public most wants to hear about in the next debate, the answer was "livelihood and cost of living." This topic received 33.86%, followed by anti-corruption and monopoly crackdowns at 32.52%, with constitutional reform and minimum wage increases also drawing public interest at 11.94% and 10.05%, respectively.
This survey had a record participation of 5,858 respondents.