Citizens Increasingly Afraid to Talk About Politics After 10 Years of President Widodo, SMRC Survey

CNN Indonesia, Oct 17, 2024

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia — The latest Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) survey  revealed an increase in the fear of most people talking about politics during the 10 years of President Joko Widodo’s ( Jokowi ) administration.

The survey noted that 51 percent of respondents said they were afraid to talk about politics. The figure consists of 12.9 percent of respondents who are always afraid to talk about politics and 37.7 percent of respondents who are often afraid to talk about politics.

As many as 47.3 percent of respondents are among those who are not afraid to talk about politics. The figure consists of 29.6 percent of respondents who rarely feel afraid to talk about politics and 17.7 percent who are never afraid to talk about politics.

“Previously, there had never been a majority force for people who were afraid to talk about politics, but now, at the end of Mr. Jokowi’s administration, those who are afraid to talk about politics have become the majority force,” said SMRC founder Saiful Mujani in a broadcast on the SMRC TV YouTube channel, Tuesday (15/10).

Saiful Mujani noted that people who were afraid to talk about politics before Jokowi became president, precisely in July 2014, numbered 22 percent. That number increased to 43 percent after the 2019 Presidential Election.

The trend of fear of talking about politics continues to increase. After the 2024 presidential election, the number of people who are afraid to talk about politics has increased, reaching 51 percent. Currently, the number is more than half of the respondents.

The survey also revealed that citizens’ fear of arbitrary law enforcement rose from 32 percent to 51 percent. Fear of joining an organization rose from 14 percent to 28 percent.

Then the fear of practicing religion rose from 7 percent to 21 percent. In addition, the perception of violations of the constitution and laws by the government jumped from 40 percent to 52 percent.

“The decline in democratic performance from a democracy that was almost consolidated before President Jokowi took office to an autocratic or authoritarian regime has occurred, especially in the last five years of Indonesia under his leadership,” said Saiful.

The survey was conducted nationally from 4 to 11 October 2024. The survey used a multistage random sampling method with a valid sample size of 994 people. The margin of error is around 3.2 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

(dhf/from)

This article is based on https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20241016150712-32-1156037/survei-smrc-10-tahun-jokowi-warga-semakin-takut-bicara-politik