LSI Denny JA: Majority of Indonesians Reject Regional Heads Elected by DPRD

According to a survey by Lingkaran Survei Indonesia (LSI) Denny JA, the majority of Indonesian people reject the idea of regional head elections (pilkada) being chosen by the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD).

Ardian Sopa, a Senior Researcher at LSI Denny JA, stated that 66.1% of the public disagreed, strongly disagreed, or completely disagreed with the proposal, while 28.6% agreed or strongly agreed.

"From this data, we can see that over 65% reject the DPRD-chosen pilkada. This figure is not small; it is a massive and systemic number," said Ardian, as quoted by Antara, Jakarta, Wednesday (7/1/2026).

Ardian said that in public opinion, when a rejection rate exceeds 60%, it signifies a significant impact.

He added that the rejection of the proposed change in the pilkada system also came from across genders. Both men and women rejected the implementation of indirect pilkada.

"Furthermore, both those in rural and urban areas also reject it. This issue is not only for urban communities but also for rural communities," he explained.

Based on generation, Gen Z most strongly rejected indirect pilkada with a percentage of 84%. Meanwhile, 71.4% of millennials rejected it, followed by 60% of Generation X, and 63% of Baby Boomers.

"Systemically, this rejection is not confined to just one generation but is present across all generations, with the majority rejecting the DPRD-chosen pilkada," he stated.

The LSI Denny JA survey was conducted on October 19-20, 2025, involving 1,200 respondents using a multistage random sampling method. The respondents are representative of the entire Indonesian population.