LSI Survey: Kaesang Deemed Suitable to Become Governor of Central Java

The Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) found that Kaesang Pangarep was considered the most suitable candidate to become the Governor of Central Java in the 2024 Regional Head Elections.

In a semi-open simulation with 21 candidate names, the youngest son of President Joko Widodo, who currently serves as the Chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), was deemed suitable by 15.9% of respondents.

Following him were Central Java Police Chief Ahmad Luthfi (12.9%), Abdul Wachid (7.8%), and Raffi Ahmad (6.8%).

Others considered suitable for the position included Bambang Wuryanto (5.8%), Sudaryono (4.7%), and Hendar Prihadi (4.7%). The remaining candidates received less than 4% of the votes.

However, in a *top of mind* simulation, where respondents were asked to directly name their preferred gubernatorial candidate, Ahmad Luthfi emerged as the winner, with Kaesang in second place.

LSI also found that a majority, or 16.1%, of respondents chose a particular candidate because they did not know the names or other candidates.

Furthermore, 9.5% of respondents chose candidates from the families of political or community figures, and 7.3% chose candidates who were attentive to the people and had experience in government.

"The competitive landscape for the Central Java Gubernatorial Election, based on the findings of this survey, appears to be still fluid. All candidates still have the opportunity to surpass each other," stated the LSI team in their report.

"Besides the candidate's popularity, the 'Jokowi Effect,' through the level of satisfaction with the president, can also have an influence," they continued.

This LSI survey involved 1,200 respondents in Central Java, with criteria of being 17 years of age or older, or married, and owning a telephone/cell phone.

Respondents were selected using a *double sampling* method, which is a random sampling from a data pool of previous face-to-face survey results.

The survey was conducted from June 21-26, 2024, through telephone interviews. The survey's margin of error is approximately 2.8% at a 95% confidence level, assuming random sampling.