Thais idealise the past amid hardships of 2025

Corruption, poverty and military conflict rank among the top concerns for Thais in the second half of the year, while recession fears continue to restrain spending, and hacking for fraudulent or espionage purposes is viewed as a severe risk, with Thailand recording the highest level of concern globally, according to market research company Ipsos.

- SUCHIT LEESA-NGUANSUK

Economic caution also coincides with social nostalgia, as nearly four in 10 Thais say they wish they had been born in 1975, idealising the perceived safety and simplicity of the past.

“Thai anxieties were dominated by domestic structural issues, with corruption emerging as the most pressing concern. About 49% identified financial and political corruption as their top worry,” said Pimtai Suwannasuk, senior client officer at Ipsos.

She said the findings were from the “What Worries Thailand? H2 2025 Report’, which gathered data from 30 countries, including 500 respondents in Thailand between August and November this year.

Poverty and social inequality remained the second-largest issue, troubling 36% of the population, she said.

Meanwhile, concerns about military conflict between nations eased slightly, dropping to third place at 29%, though it continued to weigh heavily on public sentiment.