Nearly two-thirds of the people believe the real leader and decision maker of the government is former prime minister Thaksin Shinwatra, according to the result of an Abac poll published on Sunday.
The poll to gauge public opinion on "the country's real leader and causes of conflict in Thai society" was conducted between Sept 16 to 21 on 2,103 people aged 18 and over in 17 provinces.
A woman holds photos of Thaksin and Yingluck during a red-shirt rally in Bangkok in 2010. (Photo by Thiti Wannamontha)
The majority, 85.9%, said they had been affected by political chaos and economic problems during the past three months while 14.3% said otherwise.
Asked what they thought were the causes of conflict in Thai society, the respondents mentioned politicians (80.3%), law and the constitution (54.0%), the media (51.2%), state authorities (35.8%), the people in general (29.7%), and others such as academics and independent agencies (23.9%).
More than two-thirds, or 67.9%, of the respondents believe there are political groups which have the intention of toppling the government while the rest did not think so.
On the political sector handling and solving the country's problems, 54.1% had no confidence and 45.9% thought they can rely on politicians for help.
Asked if they thought there was a possibility for the country to attain reconciliation, 62% said "yes" while 38% said "no".
To the question of who they thought is the real leader and decision maker of the government, 62.4% pointed to Thaksin Shinawatra and 37.6% to Yingluck Shinawatra.