Do the Indonesian People Feel Satisfied with Joko Widodo?
Based on a survey conducted by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), the majority of the Indonesian population is satisfied with the performance of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla. The survey covered people's perceptions of the current state of the nation's economy, politics, law enforcement and security. Sirojudin Abbas, Director of SMRC, said 69 percent of respondents indicated that they are very satisfied with existing conditions, the strongest level ever recorded under the current government.
About 74 percent of respondents informed that they are certain President Widodo (perhaps better known as Jokowi) has the skills to lead Indonesia into the future and make it a wealthier nation. About 63 percent of respondents indicated that they are satisfied with the performance of Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
Regarding the conditions of Indonesian households, 45 percent of the survey's respondents said they feel their conditions have improved since Jokowi became president, two years ago, in October 2014. About 23 percent, however, indicated that they have not felt any change in their financial situations over the past two years. Approximately 65 percent of respondents, on the other hand, are optimistic that their financial conditions will improve over the next year.
Optimism also exists with regard to macroeconomic conditions of Indonesia. About 40 percent of the respondents believe that the macroeconomy is in better shape now compared to a year ago, while 56 percent are optimistic that overall economic conditions will improve in the year ahead. These perceptions are in line with the trend of several macroeconomic indicators such as inflation and gross domestic product (GDP). Inflation is now low (for Indonesian standards) at slightly above 3 percent (y/y), while Indonesia's GDP is expected to accelerate to 5.1 percent (y/y) from 4.8 percent (y/y) in 2015. Low inflation and rising GDP should boost Indonesia's purchasing power as well as consumer confidence.
An interesting result of the survey is that 75 percent of respondents feel that infrastructure has improved, specifically Indonesia's road network. This is a surprising result as most analysts seem to agree that infrastructure development in Indonesia has actually been a bit disappointing so far, reflected by the nation's weak cement demand.
Another interesting result - one that is valuable for (potential) investors - is that 33 percent of respondents would vote for Jokowi if the presidential election would be held today. On second position comes Prabowo Subianto (9 percent), followed by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (3 percent) and Megawati Soekarnoputri (1.1 percent). For economic and political stability - as well as the attractiveness of Indonesia's investment climate - it is considered a positive matter if Jokowi would be re-elected in 2019.
The survey was conducted between 13 - 17 October 2016 and involved 1,220 respondents, spread across the entire archipelago, who were interviewed face-to-face. Based on available data the margin of error of this survey is 3.1 percent.