The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board has issued a report on Thailand’s social outlook in the second quarter of 2009. The report, which was acknowledged by the Cabinet, covers four major areas, namely the quality of human resources, social security, people’s behavior and living conditions, and the environmental situation.

The report presents interesting facts and figures, which may be used as indicators for a broad picture of Thailand in terms of social aspects. For instance, criminal cases in the country were on the decline during the second quarter. About 8,100 sexual assault cases were reported, a drop of 5.7 percent against the same period of 2008. Assaults related to theft fell by 15 percent. The decline in criminal cases was a result of better surveillance carried out by officials in various areas at risk.

Employment during the period expanded by 2-3 percent. Because of economic uncertainties, the number of educated workers in the agriculture sector was on the rise. The unemployment rate stood at 1.8 percent, a drop from 2.1 percent recorded in the first quarter of this year.

Fortunately, the expenditure for alcoholic drinks among Thais fell by 10.3 percent from 38.5 billion baht in the second quarter of this year, against 34.5 billion baht in the second quarter of last year. Tobacco consumption also saw a decline by 7.7 percent from 5.7 billion baht to 5.2 billion baht during the same period. Higher prices for cigarettes and alcoholic drinks were a likely cause of the decline, as the Government in May 2009 increased the excise tax on tobacco and alcoholic drinks. Although alcohol consumption in the overall picture has dropped, consumption among young people is still worrisome. A survey conducted by the National Statistical Office in 2007 show that among the 14.9 million alcohol drinkers in the country, 21.9 percent were young people aged between 15 and 24.

Concerning public consumption of IT products, the report quotes a survey conducted by the National Statistical Office in 2008 that 31.86 million Thais, representing 52.8 percent of the population, used mobile phones. There were about 17 million computer users, representing 28.2 percent of the Thai population. As for television sets, 94.3 percent of households in Thailand possessed television sets, while 22 percent had more than one set. From 2000 to 2007, the use of mobile phones and computers increased sixfold and televisions 1.5 fold (or 50 percent).

Because of the changing lifestyle, the annual volume of garbage rose from 14.6 million tons in 2004 to 15 million tons in 2008. Plastics and styrofoam made up one out of five parts of the total garbage volume. They have become a major environmental problem in various cities.

In 2008, about three million tons of garbage, representing 20 percent of the garbage volume in the country, were reused through the recycling process.

Source: Foreign Office, The Government Public Relations Department