A SURVEY OF KNOWLEDGE TOWARD VIOLENCE AMONG THAI POPULATION

Abstract

Background: Violence is a persistent public health and social issue in Thailand, affecting people across all demographics and regions. It leads to physical, psychological, and socioeconomic harm. Rising concerns, especially regarding interpersonal violence such as domestic and gender-based violence, highlight the need to understand public awareness and knowledge. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge about violence among the Thai population aged 20 years and above.

Methods: A stratified survey was conducted from December 2024 to March 2025 across 10 provinces, 5 with the highest and 5 with the lowest reported cases of assault based on national injury surveillance data. The questionnaire, adapted from CDC tools, covered 15 knowledge-based items on violence.

Results: A total of 2,232 questionnaires were collected, with 1,942 complete responses included in the analysis. Results revealed that the majority of respondents were female (60.0%) and aged 20–24 years (26.0%). Most participants obtained information about violence from social media, particularly Facebook (73.0%) and X/Twitter (45.6%). Overall, 79.4% of participants demonstrated an excellent level of knowledge about violence. However, knowledge gaps persisted in key areas such as the prevalence of male victims and the leading causes of fatal injuries. Statistically significant differences were observed between the two provincial groups in terms of gender, age, income, and prior experience of assault, although no significant difference in overall knowledge scores was found.

Conclusion: The study found that while most respondents demonstrated excellent overall knowledge about violence, critical gaps remain particularly regarding male victimisation and causes of fatal injuries. Despite demographic differences between provinces with high and low assault rates, overall knowledge levels did not significantly differ. These findings highlight the need for targeted education efforts to address specific misconceptions and ensure comprehensive understanding across all groups.