The Challenges for Indonesia's Middle Class in Adopting an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Katadata Insight Center (KIC), in collaboration with OMG Indonesia and TrendWatching, released research titled Indonesia Middle Class in Motion: Smarter Choice, Wiser Spending at the Trend Maker Summit 2025.

One aspect examined was delving into the difficulties faced by Indonesia's middle class in consistently adopting an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Based on the survey conducted, the obstacle to consistently living an environmentally friendly lifestyle was found not to be a lack of intention, but rather a lack of access.

“Despite having strong environmental awareness, Indonesian society finds it difficult to live sustainably due to structural barriers, not a lack of motivation,” as quoted from the research findings.

This statement is supported by respondents' admissions that a lack of supporting facilities, such as refill stations, is a primary reason for the difficulty in adopting an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Below are the details of why Indonesia's middle-class citizens find it difficult to consistently adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle:

• Lack of supporting facilities (e.g., refill stations, recycling drop-off points, separate trash bins): 51.4%
• Environmentally friendly products are not always available (limited stock, only in big cities): 41.5%
• Environmentally friendly products are usually more expensive: 35.4%
• Supporting facilities are far away/not available near residences: 33.3%
• Lack of information on how to do it correctly: 25.5%
• Lack of incentives or rewards to motivate: 17.5%
• No clear examples from the surrounding environment: 16.6%
• More troublesome/requires extra time: 13%
• Unaware of the actual impact: 6.9%
• Others: 0.2%.

“These barriers reveal that the biggest friction comes from the system, not the consumers,” explained KIC.

“Even audiences with the willingness fail to practice sustainability when access requires extra effort, distance, or cost,” it added.

This quantitative survey was conducted online from November 4-13, 2025, involving 463 middle-class respondents aged 17-59 years. The respondents' monthly per capita expenditure ranged from Rp2-Rp10 million.

The complete research findings can be downloaded here.