King Prajadhipok's Institute poll reveals that Thai citizens across all regions are ready for the election, urging the Election Commission to swiftly restore "confidence in integrity and fairness."
On 9 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Associate Professor Dr. Isara Sereewatthanawut, Secretary-General of King Prajadhipok's Institute and Chair of the KPI Poll Center, announced that the Institute conducted a public opinion survey on "Citizens' readiness for the 8 Feb 2026 election" from 26 to 29 Dec 2025 GMT+7. The survey covered 2,000 people aged 18 and over nationwide across all regions.
1. Overall, Thai people are “ready to vote” but still “lack confidence in the system.” The general readiness scored an average of 7.81 out of 10. Understanding of the election process was relatively high at 8.46, while attitudes toward the election were moderate, and trust in integrity and fairness was fairly low at 7.81. Participation had the lowest average score of 7.18.
This reflects an election atmosphere that is “ready to proceed.” Citizens know and understand the election system but remain uncertain whether the results will be fair and do not yet feel truly ownership of the political process.
2. Citizens in all regions show relatively high to very high readiness for the election, though readiness is unevenly distributed by area. Scores were: Bangkok (8.81), Eastern region (8.35), Central region (8.19), Northern region (7.85), Northeastern region (7.39), and Southern region (7.36).
This indicates Bangkok, the Eastern region, and the Central region have high readiness scores, reflecting the role of urban areas as economic and industrial centers with better access to information that promotes political awareness and voting. Conversely, the Northeast and South show lower readiness, reflecting structural and social context factors limiting readiness, such as lower confidence in election management.
3. Confidence in election integrity and fairness shows clear regional disparities. Bangkok has the highest confidence at 8.41, while the Northeast (5.63) and South (4.30) have significantly lower-than-average confidence scores.
This indicates the Election Commission has not won the trust of regional populations as effectively as urban residents, especially in the South, where elections are widely viewed as lacking transparency from the start. Confidence does not directly depend on “readiness to vote” but is tied to experiences and perceptions of system fairness.
4. The willingness to report corruption is higher than confidence but concentrated in certain areas. Bangkok shows the highest willingness (9.19), while the South (6.13) and Northeast (5.80) score the lowest.
This suggests that in many regions, people are more willing to report issues than to trust the justice system. Bangkok residents are highly alert, while those in the Northeast and South may still doubt that processes will be fair and safe. They may feel reporting to the Election Commission will be ineffective or fear local influence.
In conclusion, the third KPI Poll clearly shows that Thai citizens nationwide are ready for the election. The urgent challenge is not to motivate readiness but for the Election Commission and related agencies to urgently restore “confidence in election integrity and fairness,” especially in the South and Northeast. Targeted campaigns are needed to build trust beyond simply providing repeated information, ensuring citizens see that complaints are "safe and effective."
Campaign efforts should prioritize farmers and low-income groups to boost readiness and participation while reducing political inequality gaps.
