The 2026 general election, scheduled for 8 Feb 2026 GMT+7, is entering its most intense final phase amid a completely transformed political landscape in 2026. Social media and online platforms have become the main arenas for competing political party policies and popularity.
Data compiled from two key sources—the online discourse and public opinion polls—show significant alignment regarding the direction and behavior of Thai voters, who are increasingly shifting towards ideology-driven and policy-focused politics.
Wisesight (Thailand) Co., Ltd. collected data via the Zocial Eye tool from 22 Dec 2025 to 11 Jan 2026 GMT+7, finding a total of 158,459,229 political engagements across social media from 519,165 posts.
Breaking down by main platforms reveals the following interesting insights:
Facebook remains the primary platform for media and political parties to disseminate news, accounting for 65.07% (336,414 posts) and generating about 71 million engagements.
TikTok, the dark horse platform, ranks second with 10.57% (54,666 posts) but surprisingly generates over 62 million engagements—nearly matching Facebook despite having six times fewer posts—reflecting Gen Z and younger generations’ rapid engagement with short-form video content.
YouTube ranks third, covering 10.41% (53,809 posts) and producing approximately 4 million engagements.
Regarding party popularity, the Prachachon Party created a viral phenomenon with over 70 million engagements, driven by structural questions such as MP Ice Rakchanok Srinok’s phrase “Why do we need the military?”; the introduction of Associate Professor Dr. Munin Pongsapan as the prospective Minister of Justice, attracting young and middle-class demographics; and the campaign speeches of Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
Thairath Online’s election poll shows the Prachachon Party nearly doubling its lead, with voters hoping to see a culture of MPs focusing more on parliamentary work rather than local constituency activities.
The survey of Thairath Online readers asked: “Which political party’s policy impresses you the most, and what factors influence your choice?” Conducted from 18 to 23 Jan 2026 GMT+7 with 14,590 respondents, the results show the Prachachon Party decisively capturing 50.00%, far ahead of the second-place Ruamthai Sang Chart at 14.35% and third-place Pheu Thai at 13.71%.
Fourth place went to Bhumjaithai Party with 7.64%, followed by Democrat Party at 5.27%, and the Economic Party at 3.80%.
This reflects that Thairath Online readers want the Prachachon Party to govern the country and find its policies most appealing.
Delving deeper into “The decisive factors in choosing a political party” Two dimensions emerge: first, addressing cost-of-living problems at 26.68%, alongside a desire for young leadership at 25.04%. Additional support comes from demands for constitutional reform, combating modern crimes like gray capital and scammers, and dissatisfaction with the previous government, standing at 14.18%, 13.71%, and 11.65% respectively. Respondents view the Prachachon Party as having clear stances that best address current social concerns. Issues like the Thai-Cambodian border dispute received the least concern at 8.74%.
Notably, over 90% of respondents intend to select both constituency and party list MPs from the same party (90.15%). Regarding constituency MPs’ profile, more than half (53.12%) want MPs who prioritize parliamentary work—participating in crucial legislation, representing constituents' voices, and debating in parliament. Next are MPs with strong connections securing budgets for their areas (21.33%), followed by those who are the first to reach the local area (20.08%). The least desired are MPs focused on sponsoring merit-making, ordination, and funeral ceremonies at 5.47%.
Regarding age groups, the largest respondent share was 46-59 years (26.70%), followed by 60 and above (21.39%), 26-35 years (19.13%), 36-45 years (18.26%), and 18-25 years (14.52%).
Respondents mostly came from Bangkok and its vicinity (40.34%), followed closely by the Central region (including East and West) at 19.01%, Northeast at 17.45%, North at 12.70%, and the South with the smallest share at 10.51%.
This survey may indicate that Thai politics is returning to policy discussions and intense parliamentary work as the main criteria voters use to decide which political party to support in the upcoming election.
