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The latest case in point was a recent damning remark made publicly by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej about an ABAC poll conducted last month.

The poll suggested about 80 per cent of the public surveyed want the government to solve economic problems rather than other issues at this stage as there was a pre-occupation with the plan to amend the constitution.

On the proposed charter amendments, as pushed by the ruling People Power Party, about 60 per cent of respondents said such a move was "too early", given that the current charter had been in use for less than a year.

These results were widely disseminated by the mass media, which often rely on respectable polls as a source of information and analyses.

Another example took place during the tenure of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra when an ABAC poll drew flak from government officials and they wanted to examine the pollsters' records of their opinion survey.

However, state interference and intimidation do not bode well for the poll industry, which plays a crucial role in a democratic society as polls help monitor public opinion on key national issues.

In this context, the government can either use the information to its own benefit by improving its performance, for instance, or can put the blame on pollsters for exposing its weaknesses.

In addition, polls as well as the mass media are powerful educational tools for the general public's democratisation process.

In an increasingly information-driven society, it is also not possible for the government to restrict the flow of ideas and public opinions.

As a result, pollsters have to do their best to defend their reputation or else they could be abused by politicians.

In the case of ABAC polls, financial independence and professional integrity are key requirements.

Noppadon said the poll agency has relied on its own funding, which comes from doing other commercial surveys and research, when conducting surveys on political and related topics.

This means it can really be independent so as to minimise any biases stemming from political affiliation or sponsorship.

In terms of professional integrity, it is necessary to follow the internationally-accepted survey methodology so as to control statistical errors as effectively as possible.

Noppadon, who has been doing opinion surveys for the past decade and a half, also warned that there are some "push" polls near election time so as to influence voters when they cast the ballots.

Push polls, which usually contain "leading" questions, are often designed to discredit political opponents which impartial poll agencies will not do.

However, ABAC also conducted a controversial poll this month when it sought public opinion on whether there would be another coup d'etat soon.

The first survey conducted earlier this month revealed 34 per cent of respondents said yes but the majority, about 60 per cent of respondents, said no.

In the second survey on the same topic, whose results were released on Thursday, 60 per cent of respondents said they believed there could be another coup soon.