PUBLISHED: 2 Feb 2025 at 11:32
A recent survey reveals that most Bangkok residents believe government efforts to combat the city’s ongoing PM2.5 air quality crisis are lacking. Findings from the National Institute of Development Administration showed that a significant majority of respondents view the government’s initiative of offering free public transport as insufficient to address the pollution issue.
When queried about the effectiveness of agencies combating air pollution, 41.15% of participants rated them as somewhat inefficient, while 35.34% declared them entirely inefficient. Only 20.38% considered them somewhat efficient, and a mere 3.13% rated them as very efficient.
In response to the free public transport scheme, opinions were similarly critical: 34.89% said it would help very little, 33.89% felt it would not help at all, while 24.50% believed it would assist somewhat, and only 6.72% considered it significantly beneficial.
Views were mixed regarding City Hall’s decisions to close schools and encourage remote work for eligible employees, resulting in 34.89% acknowledging some assistance from these measures, contrasted with 33.21% who found them minimally effective, 24.50% rated them as ineffective, and 8.47% believed they had a significant impact.
Respondents identified multiple agencies they felt were best suited to address ultrafine dust pollution, with results as follows:
41.15% Pollution Control Department
34.27% Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
27.02% Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation
20.23% Department of Land Transport
17.56% No agency at all
16.34% Ministry of Industry
13.89% Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
12.67% Office of the Prime Minister
12.44% Ministry of Interior
10.46% Royal Thai Police
9.39% Ministry of Foreign Affairs
8.70% Ministry of Defence
8.47% Ministry of Commerce
7.79% Ministry of Finance
The survey was conducted via telephone interviews on January 27-28, gathering responses from 1,310 residents over the age of 18, representing a diverse range of education, income, and occupations in Bangkok.
