Confidence in the broader economy remains “subdued”, with concerns centring on corruption, inflation, and divided opinions about what direction the country should move in, market research firm Ipsos says.
The study “What worries Thailand? June 2026”, released on Tuesday, outlined the major challenges and concerns the country is now facing, with 55% of the Thais surveyed identifying financial and political corruption as the issue weighing most heavily on local consumers.
The figure marks a 5-percentage-point increase from last month and is up 10 points from a year ago.
The finding is part of the Ipsos’ series titled “What Worries the World” conducted every month in 30 countries among 20,000 or so adults for over a decade.
“The continued rise suggests that trust, transparency and governance remain front of mind for many consumers [and] that institutional trust remains fundamental to public confidence,” it noted.
Ipsos also ranks inflation among Thais’ top three worries, with 32% citing it as a major concern, up 4 points from the previous month and up eight year-on-year.
This is due to “renewed pressure on household budgets as higher global energy prices and cost-of-living pressures feed through to consumer prices”, it said.
“Although Thailand’s economic outlook has recently improved modestly, inflation is expected to remain elevated in the near term, keeping affordability front of mind for many households.”
Poverty and social inequality remain the second-largest concern at 42%, highlighting how many households continue to feel uneven benefits from the economic recovery.
Meanwhile, public opinion on where Thailand is heading remains “perfectly balanced”, with 50% of Thais believe the country is moving in the right direction, and the rest seeing it as being on the wrong track. The even split illustrates how confidence remains fragile.