The King Prajadhipok's Institute poll reveals that most people are aware of "vote buying," with the highest awareness in the South and Northeast regions. Nearly half remain dissatisfied with the Election Commission's anti-corruption efforts.
On 20 Feb 2026 GMT+7, the King Prajadhipok's Institute released the results of a survey titled "Public Awareness of Vote Buying Issues and Desired Government After the Election." Associate Professor Dr. Issara Sereewattanawut, Secretary-General of the King Prajadhipok's Institute and director of the KPI Poll Center, announced the results of the 9th KPI Poll conducted from 13 to 16 Feb 2026 GMT+7. The survey included 2,000 respondents aged 18 and over from across the country. Key findings are as follows:
1. The majority of people are aware of "vote buying" in their electoral districts.
• 53.6% have heard about vote buying in their electoral districts.
• 46.4% have never heard about it.
This shows that vote buying remains close to many citizens, but nearly half have never heard of it, reflecting uneven awareness depending on area, information networks, and community experience.
2. Most people perceive the vote-buying price to be between 500 and 1,000 baht.
• Among those aware, the most commonly perceived amount used for vote buying is 500–1,000 baht (76.8%).
• Next are amounts below 500 baht (15.3%) and above 1,000 baht (7.9%).
This reflects the public perception that "It is not a large sum of money." Vote buying (from the public’s perspective) is seen as behavior that is "easy to access and repeat," potentially spreading more widely than large one-time expenditures.
3. Awareness of vote buying varies greatly by region: South and Northeast over 60%, while Bangkok is the lowest.
• Among those aware, the South ranks highest (65.3%), followed closely by the Northeast (64.9%).
• The North (56.5%), East (46.3%), Central (37.7%), and Bangkok (26.5%) have lower awareness, with Bangkok the lowest.
The significant regional differences indicate that local political contexts—such as intense local politics, high competition, and dense information—lead to more discussions of vote buying. In contrast, Bangkok’s urban environment may either lack such incidents or citizens may not associate them with vote buying, resulting in lower awareness.
4. Nearly half are dissatisfied with the Election Commission's anti-corruption performance.
• The highest dissatisfaction rate is with the Election Commission’s work to prevent and suppress election corruption (40.8%).
• Next, 31.9% rated their satisfaction as good to quite good, 25.8% as fair, and 1.5% had no opinion.
This indicates that the public still wants stronger enforcement and tangible results. The sizable neutral group may reflect uncertainty about how effective the Election Commission’s efforts have been or insufficient evidence of impact.
5. Preferred government formation models? Many remain dissatisfied, but there is a tendency toward multi-party coalitions.
• The highest proportion (41.7%) do not prefer any proposed model.
• Next most popular is a coalition government including Bhumjaithai, Pheu Thai, and Democrat parties (28.5%), followed by a coalition including Bhumjaithai, Pheu Thai, Democrat, and Prachachat parties (13.8%).
• Other preferences include coalitions of Bhumjaithai, Kla, Palang Pracharath, and Economic parties (9.3%), Bhumjaithai, Pheu Thai, and Kla parties (4.6%), and the smallest support for a coalition of Bhumjaithai and Kla parties (1.9%).
Many feel the proposed political formulas do not address their concerns or lack confidence in the legitimacy, stability, or policy directions of these coalitions. When forced to choose, some lean toward multi-party coalitions, reflecting a hope for compromise to move forward, though this does not fully satisfy most people.
Survey Summary
This survey highlights two major issues simultaneously: vote buying remains a reality widely recognized by the public, typically involving accessible amounts (centered at 500–1,000 baht). Awareness varies by region, and confidence in fair and honest oversight remains a critical challenge, as those dissatisfied with the Election Commission’s anti-corruption role outnumber those satisfied.
Meanwhile, regarding post-election politics, many people remain unsettled by the government formation formulas circulated in the media, even though the Election Commission has officially certified the election results. Overall, the survey reflects a societal desire for transparent elections with tangible integrity and post-election politics that genuinely address public needs rather than mere power negotiations according to political formulas.
