MEDIA EXPOSURE, KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIORAL TENDENCIES TOWARDS THE 50:50 CO-PAYMENT SCHEME IN THAILAND

Abstract

The research objective was to study media exposure, knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral tendencies towards the 50:50 co-payment scheme in Thailand. Quantitative research was done with data collected by survey research. 300 samples had registered for the first and second phases of the Thai government’s 50:50 co-payment scheme to stimulate consumer spending through subsidies. The result shows that most samplings are 28 to 35 years old, they work as a private company employees with incomes from 15,001 – 30,000 baht. Overall, they have media exposure and knowledge about the 50:50 co-payment scheme through mass media or television; personal media or friends and acquaintances; new media or social networking such as Facebook and Line; and media activity or fieldwork. They mostly exposure to the registration method and most samples. They have a medium level of knowledge, and a positive level of attitude toward the 50:50 co-payment scheme. They have strong intention in the level of behavioral tendency to join the 50:50 co-payment scheme. In addition, the media exposure to the 50:50 co-payment scheme was in an inverse relationship with knowledge about it. As media exposure about the 50:50 co-payment scheme increased, knowledge about it decreased, especially in mass media. However, personal media and media activity had a high level of correlative relationship withknowledge. Media exposure to the 50:50 co-payment scheme had an overall relationship with attitude about it, but knowledge about it was inversely related with overall attitude about it. As public knowledge of the 50:50 co-payment scheme increased, overall attitudes toward it decreased. Overall attitude about the 50:50 co-payment scheme was positively related to behavioral tendency to join the program.