BANGKOK — The rising cost of living, online scams and mounting debt are the biggest sources of stress and anxiety among Thai people, while family and good relationships remain their greatest source of happiness and emotional support, according to a nationwide survey by Super Poll.
Assistant Professor Dr. Noppadon Kannika, founder of Super Poll Research Office, released the findings on 8 November 2026. The survey covered 1,147 respondents from various occupations nationwide between 1 and 7 November.
The findings highlight key areas for policymakers to address, including financial security, personal safety and reliable support networks.
Respondents gave an average stress score of 6.73 out of 10, an anxiety score of 6.14 and a life satisfaction score of 6.04.
The survey noted that these scores measured different aspects of people’s feelings and should not be combined to calculate an overall happiness score or treated as a mental health diagnosis.
When asked to assess their current happiness and suffering, the largest group, 41.3%, said they experienced a mixture of both. Another 32.8% said they had more suffering than happiness, while 25.9% said they experienced more happiness than suffering.
The proportion reporting more suffering than happiness was 6.9 percentage points higher than those reporting the opposite.
The findings suggest that nearly one-third of respondents felt they were experiencing more hardship than happiness. Super Poll said further research was needed to understand their problems, needs and barriers to accessing assistance. However, the results could not establish whether happiness had declined or suffering had increased without comparable data from previous periods.
Family remains the biggest source of happiness
When asked about their sources of happiness and emotional support, with multiple answers allowed, 82.9% selected family and good relationships, making it the most frequently cited source.
This was followed by their own health and the health of family members at 73.5%, fulfilling income and careers at 71.8%, and having enough income to cover expenses at 63.7%.
Friends and trusted people they could rely on were cited by 61.9%, while rest, hobbies and personal time accounted for 60.5%.
Other sources included their children’s progress and future prospects at 53.4%, religion, prayer and merit-making at 51.4%, safe communities at 49.7%, and helping others at 45.5%.
The findings suggest that people’s sources of emotional support extend beyond personal relationships to include health, financial stability, fulfilment at work and time for themselves.
However, selecting an issue as a source of happiness does not necessarily mean respondents already have enough of it. In particular, the 63.7% who selected having sufficient income to cover expenses should not be interpreted as the proportion of households that actually have adequate income.
Cost of living and online scams top sources of anxiety
On the sources of stress and anxiety, respondents were also allowed to select multiple answers.
The cost of living and insufficient income to cover expenses ranked first, cited by 69.7% of respondents. This was followed by cyber threats, online scams and call-centre gangs at 65.1%; debt, loan repayments and debt collection at 58.9%; and concerns over personal and property safety, crime and gang-related violence at 57.4%.
The findings highlight urgent concerns involving everyday expenses, financial obligations and the risk of losing personal assets. However, the proportion worried about online scams does not indicate how many respondents had actually been deceived or suffered financial losses.
Other sources of stress included social injustice, discrimination and violations of rights at 53.2%; physical health, illness and the health of family members at 41.2%; pollution, environmental problems and PM2.5 dust pollution at 40.9%; and caring responsibilities for loved ones at 32.5%.
Concerns about children’s futures accounted for 28.1%, while fake news, violent news and violent content circulated on social media were cited by 27.5%.
The findings indicate that improving people’s well-being requires addressing a broad range of issues, including financial hardship, safety, fairness, health and the information environment. Further research is needed to determine whether respondents’ concerns stemmed from direct experiences, exposure to news or both.
Super Poll calls for easier access to public assistance
Dr. Noppadon said that, from his perspective as a social science researcher and former adviser to the Ombudsman, addressing public hardship requires attention not only to the problems people face but also to the processes they must go through to seek assistance.
Even when complaint channels are available, difficult access, a lack of updates on case progress or unclear explanations for decisions can increase people’s burdens and make them feel they have been treated unfairly.
The finding that 53.2% of respondents identified injustice, discrimination and violations of rights as sources of stress and anxiety therefore warrants further investigation and public consultation. It does not, however, establish that all those respondents had personally experienced rights violations.
Dr. Noppadon said government agencies should make it easier for people to file complaints, provide clear explanations, allow them to track their cases and ensure fair consideration.
Recurring complaints should also be used to improve public service systems, turning individual experiences of repeated unfair treatment into lessons that can help prevent similar problems for others.
Policy recommendations focus on financial relief and public safety
Summarising the findings, Dr. Noppadon said policy development should focus on reducing the pressures of daily life, preventing financial and other losses, and strengthening the sources of support that people value.
Although families are an important support network, family members may also face caregiving responsibilities and concerns about the health and future of their loved ones. Support for families should therefore be accompanied by public services that help ease these burdens.
Assistance should also reach people living alone or without reliable support networks, ensuring that differences in personal circumstances do not become barriers to receiving help.
He said the government should coordinate measures to reduce essential living expenses, expand employment and income opportunities, and improve access to debt management services.
Relevant agencies should jointly assess household problems and refer people to appropriate services based on their individual needs.
These efforts should have clearly designated responsible agencies and follow-up timelines, with progress measured by whether households are better able to manage expenses, whether their debt burdens have changed and whether their financial security has improved.
To tackle online scams, banks, telecommunications operators, police and relevant agencies should work together to strengthen prevention, transaction verification and assistance for victims.
Such measures should be practical and accessible, particularly for older people and those less familiar with technology.
Concerns about injustice should also lead to more accessible complaint channels, transparent case-tracking systems and reviews of public service procedures.
Both areas share the same goal: ensuring that people know where to seek help and can trust that their problems will be taken seriously.
In healthcare and community development, Dr. Noppadon recommended linking physical healthcare, mental health counselling and support for family caregivers.
Authorities should also provide more recreational spaces and low-cost activities, alongside measures to address safety and environmental problems based on local needs.
Educational institutions and vocational agencies should work together to create learning opportunities and clearer pathways into employment, giving young people practical prospects for the future.
Finally, he said follow-up surveys should use comparable questions and research methods to track changes over time. Results should also be analysed by age, occupation, income and location to identify where problems are concentrated and which groups are still unable to access assistance.
The survey provides useful indications of issues requiring attention but does not establish cause-and-effect relationships. Its findings should be considered alongside public consultations and actual service-delivery data.
Super Poll also recommended disclosing its sampling methods, data collection procedures and weighting techniques to help the public assess how broadly the findings can be applied.
