KPI Poll indicates "Thai Chua Thai Plus" resonates with 71.6% of Thais, emphasizing the next major challenge: increasing funding and sustainably solving cost of living issues.
On 24 July 2026, the King Prajadhipok's Institute released survey results titled “Public Opinion on Thai Chua Thai Plus and Future Cost of Living Challenges,” conducted from 10-13 July 2026 among 2,000 individuals aged 18 and over nationwide. The key findings are as follows:
1. What is the main obstacle to participating in the Thai Chua Thai Plus program? (Survey by x Line Today)
• 19.7% said there is no major obstacle, the highest proportion, close to 19.1% who said that having to use an application makes access difficult for some groups.
• Next, 14.6% viewed the conditions for using rights as too restrictive, 14.2% said participating stores are not comprehensive or convenient for spending, 12.3% found registration or identity verification procedures complicated, 9.7% worried about retrospective taxation on participating stores, 5.5% encountered payment process difficulties, 3.3% concerned about transparency or misuse of rights, and 1.6% were unsure or had no opinion.
• By region: Southern (39.0%), Northern (29.7%), and Eastern (28.8%) regions most frequently reported “no major obstacle.” Bangkok (30.0%) and Central region (27.2%) identified “complicated registration or identity verification” as the biggest barrier. Meanwhile, the Northeastern region’s top obstacles were both app usage difficulty (21.6%) and limited store participation or inconvenience (21.6%).
Ease of using rights remains a key challenge.
Public experience with “Thai Chua Thai Plus” varies clearly both overall and by region. However, combining issues related to access and usage—app usage, store coverage, registration, and payment steps—amounts to over half (51.4%), reflecting that convenience throughout the rights utilization process remains a crucial challenge to reduce barriers from application to actual spending.
More than half want “increased funding.”
• 56.1% stated that if the program continues in the style of Thai Chua Thai Plus, the monthly assistance amount should be increased to the maximum.
• Next, 12.9% want to expand the number of beneficiaries, 7.3% wish to simplify registration and usage systems, 5.3% want to add types of stores and services participating, 5.1% want benefits only for low-income or genuinely needy people, 4.9% had other views. Only 1.6% opposed continuing such a program, and 6.8% were unsure or had no opinion.
This reflects that most people do not want to change the program’s structure but want increased assistance levels to have a greater impact on expenses. However, increasing funding and expanding rights involves budgetary burden, so it should be considered alongside appropriate targeting, simplifying systems, expanding stores and services, and establishing reliable complaint channels and monitoring measures.
Tops as the most favored program.
• 71.6% named “Thai Chua Thai Plus” as their favorite program in the government’s first three months, followed by 12.4% favoring energy cost reduction measures such as electricity bill cuts and fuel price controls, 4.8% support for agricultural product price assistance, 4.3% border issue resolution with Cambodia, and 6.9% other programs or measures.
• Regarding priorities for the next three months, 58.6% want the government to urgently address cost of living issues, followed by 16.5% demanding serious anti-corruption efforts, 8.2% seeking drug and crime suppression, 6.0% wanting sustainable border problem resolution, 4.3% calling for large-scale economic and employment stimulus projects, and 6.4% other issues.
➡ Programs related to daily income and expenses attract significantly more public interest than other areas. Although Thai Chua Thai Plus is the most popular program, people still see cost of living problems needing further solutions. This suggests the program eases burdens somewhat but has not fully allayed daily expense concerns. Meanwhile, managing corruption and drug issues remains a major expectation after economic livelihood matters.
The major challenge is solving economic and livelihood problems.
The survey reflects that “Thai Chua Thai Plus” is clearly a popular program as it addresses economic livelihood needs. However, different groups and regions face distinct obstacles, and there remains demand for increased support and urgent cost of living solutions overall. This highlights pressure from daily expenses. The next challenge is not just whether to continue the program, but also to consider sufficient funding levels, beneficiary coverage, and reducing region-specific barriers to ensure assistance reaches people easily and effectively. This should be coupled with overall cost of living measures so that relief does not rely solely on co-payment programs.