Fuel Price Hike: These are the Series of Compensations Citizens Want

A national survey by Indikator Politik found that the majority of respondents want the government to provide compensation for the fuel price increase in the form of social assistance for the poor and lower prices for staple foods.

18.5% of respondents said they want the government to provide social assistance such as staple food packages, scholarships, and others. Furthermore, 16.3% of the public want the price of staple foods to be lowered.

Other compensation desired by the public to offset the fuel price increase includes job creation (13.6%), direct cash assistance (10.7%), minimum wage increases (8.7%), and affordable education for all (8.5%).

The survey also found that the economic situation is considered to be worsening, primarily due to the government's decision to reduce subsidies, leading to a fuel price hike. A majority of citizens (71.5%) oppose this policy.

This opposition is particularly strong among women, younger people, those with a secondary education level, those with an income of Rp 3.5 million or less, students, employees, entrepreneurs, housewives, rural residents, those dissatisfied with the President's performance, and those who supported Prabowo-Sandi in the 2019 election.

The national survey on fuel price increases, fuel subsidy diversion, and the President's approval rating was conducted between September 5th and 10th, 2022. The survey population comprised Indonesian citizens aged 17 or older, or who are married, and who own a telephone, representing approximately 83% of the total national population.

A sample of 1,215 respondents was selected using random digit dialing (RDD), a technique for randomly selecting telephone numbers. The survey's margin of error is estimated at 2.9% at a 95% confidence level. Interviews with respondents were conducted by telephone by trained interviewers.

(read: Survey: Majority of Public Agree on Subsidized Fuel for Public Transportation and Motorcycles)