Tuesday, August 16, 2022 – Practically all Indonesians intend to participate in the 2024 elections. However, a vast majority (68%) still don’t know who to vote for. It is high time for the 24 parties that have passed the verification for the 2024 elections to introduce their parties to the public.
To gain a deeper understanding of public perceptions and attitudes, Kawula17 conducts a national survey every three months. Continuing from the first survey in October 2021 and the second in March 2022, the third survey was done in June 2022. This third survey includes a larger and more representative sample of Indonesians between the age of 18 and 44 with different socioeconomic backgrounds (SES).
The third survey covers various topics that have become prominent issues discussed by the public and in parliament (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat) in June 2022. Some of the issues considered important by the people include the quality of education, gender issues and the eradication of sexual violence, as well as human rights.
The survey results show a high intention to participate in the 2024 general elections. As many as 94% of Indonesians indicate a willingness to vote when asked about considerations to participate in the upcoming electoral process.
This result seems to be an indication that there is a strong willingness to participate amongst the people.
It’s interesting to see that young people, especially those aged 18-24 are still very indecisive (78%). Although, this is not only the case among young people but also occurs for people aged 25-44 years (57% – 68%).
Kawula17, a voting advice application, is here to help the younger generation identify political preferences based on the relevant issues currently being discussed by the public and reviewed in the mass media.
According to a researcher from Pusat Kajian Politik Universitas Indonesia (Puskapol UI), “the lack of knowledge regarding political preferences shows that Indonesian voters might not be critical enough yet. On the other hand, the party machines and candidates that act as a place of aggregation and articulation of interests can do more to communicate with and inform voters outside the election period. The concern is that the meaning of elections is still seen as merely procedural with minimal substance.”
This survey’s results indicate that political apathy is starting to decline, but awareness of political preferences is still low. Political parties can use this opportunity to draw the attention and interest of potential voters who tend to be more open to exploring their options.
Citing advice from the researcher of Puskapol UI, the strategy that political parties can carry out is to “approach young people without the need to modify personas or show off excessive party ornaments, ask about the needs of young people or discuss specific issues that they experience. In addition, parties can also guarantee the involvement of young people in the internal democratic process.”
This result can be a reference for political parties to start vigorously introducing their parties to the public. The approach that parties can use is defending their position in responding to issues considered important by society.
This third survey was conducted from June 24 – July 17, 2022, to 600 Indonesians spread across urban and rural areas, aged between 18-44 years, using the CASI method (online survey) with multistage quota sampling and a margin of error of 4%.
The report of the survey can be seen in more detail here.
Contact Person: Yoan Disty, researcher at BOI Research and Kawula17.
About Kawula17
Kawula17 is a Voting Advice Application (VAA), an application that helps voters to understand their political preferences based on social and political issues relevant to the current situation.