SMRC: The Indonesian Public Believes the Country is Heading in the Right Direction

A survey conducted by Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting (SMRC) indicates that the majority of Indonesians believe the nation is currently heading in the right direction. The survey, conducted from May 14-20, 2017, shows that 74.8 percent of respondents answered that Indonesia is heading in the right direction, while only 14.6 percent said it is heading in the wrong direction. 10.6 percent responded that they did not know.

The survey results show no significant change in public opinion regarding the direction of the nation, both before and after the Jakarta gubernatorial election (Pilkada DKI Jakarta). The national trend of public confidence in the nation's trajectory has not changed significantly in the last six months or the last year.

As is known, the national political climate heated up during the Jakarta gubernatorial election, fueled by the spread of identity politics. For its survey, SMRC used a multistage random sampling method, selecting a population from 34 provinces. While 1,500 respondents were initially sampled, only 1,350 (90 percent) provided valid interviews. The margin of error is approximately ±2.5 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.