Nonetheless, academic research of the Cold War period suggests that of these, only 33% spoke Central Thai, with over 50% speaking Lao dialects (Isan), an indication of the number of ethnic Lao or users of Lao as a second language or lingua franca for the Northeast. Thai censuses still do not disaggregate by either the largest or smallest ethnic groups and so reflect Thai national identity rather than the scientific consensus.
Academic research from the Cold War period suggests that only 33% of people spoke Central Thai, while over 50% spoke Lao dialects (Isan), indicating a significant number of ethnic Lao or individuals using Lao as a second language or lingua franca in the Northeast. However, Thai censuses do not disaggregate data by the largest or smallest ethnic groups and thus reflect a national identity rather than scientific consensus on these demographics.