May 8, 2007
New Poll Finds Indonesians Favorable to US Firms and War on Terror,Angry at Uncle Sam
by Business Wire
A new poll reports that while Indonesians hold favorable views of many American companies and brands and support the US-led war on terror, negative perceptions of the US persist. The poll also indicates that the serious risks posed by avian flu are not fully recognized, because many of the people most likely to be exposed to the disease — chicken owners — ignore the risks they face and oppose control measures.
But the survey reveals as well that a decade after their country descended into crisis, Indonesians think their country is headed in the right direction, thanks to renewed stability, democracy, and growth, and that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the clear favorite in his race for re-election in 2009.
Indonesians have favorable views of many major American firms, including Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and Exxon Mobil, although negative views outnumbered favorable ones for the more controversial natural resource firm Newmont Mining, according to the poll, conducted by consulting firms Charney Research of New York and CastleAsia of Jakarta and backed by the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.
In the wake of bombings by Al Qaeda affiliates in Bali, Jakarta, and elsewhere, the poll found Indonesians support the U.S.-led war on terror by a margin of 47% to 34%.
However, Indonesian perceptions of the U.S. remain unfavorable, with 21% positive and 53% negative. Despite their warmth for American brands, 40% said they favored in principle boycotting American products, while 41% were opposed.
Regarding bird flu, the study revealed that two-fifths of Indonesian poultry owners do not know they can become infected with the disease by touching infected birds. The survey also found that more than one in three poultry owners opposed pre-emptive slaughter of birds in case of a bird flu outbreak — a key precautionary measure.
Some 88% of Indonesians do think avian flu is a risk and more than three in four know how the illness spreads. However, the study concludes that “while public education efforts to date have had an effect, the risk of a bird flu epidemic remains because many poultry owners remain ignorant of how the disease spreads.” It urges targeted educational campaigns aimed specifically at poultry owners.
Despite this concern, the study found that Indonesians believe their country of 246-million — the largest in Southeast Asia and the world’s most populous Muslim land — is on the right track again. A decade after the Asian financial crisis, which toppled Indonesia’s authoritarian Suharto regime and plunged Southeast Asia’s economic powerhouse and foreign capital magnet into years of political and economic volatility, citizens say the country is headed in the right direction, 47% to 41%.
The principal reasons for optimism are the restoration of order, signs of economic recovery, and reform and democracy, along with President Yudhoyono’s leadership and efforts to establish free schooling and fight corruption. Pessimists are worried by continuing economic weakness, natural disasters (the 2004 Aceh tsunami and succeeding earthquake and volcanic activity), and corruption.
The study notes that the issues now on Indonesians’ minds contrast with those just after Suharto’s fall, when riots and violence were a preoccupation. The decline of fears about instability and growing public outspokenness about corruption reflect “the increasing ‘normalization’ of Indonesian politics, as questions of the survival of the political order have given way to the sorts of issues bout state effectiveness typical in a developing country like Indonesia,” study author Craig Charney notes.
The reform-minded Yudhoyono — Indonesia’s first directly elected president — retains an extremely positive personal image (80% favorable), even though only 34% of the public rates his job performance as good or excellent.
The poll found that he remains more popular than his major rivals. In trial heats for the 2009 presidential election, Yudhoyono easily bested them all: by 54% to 29% over former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, 65% to 14% against former Defense Minister Wiranto, and 70% to 9% over Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
The survey was based on face-to-face interviews with a random, national sample of 820 adult Indonesians in September 2006, with an error margin of +/- 3.5%. The report also includes the results of qualitative interviews with 15 leading Indonesian business and political decision-makers.
The report also includes extensive analysis of the economic and political outlook, marketing outlooks for various types of consumer goods, attitudes towards Islam, sharia, and politics, and issues confronting the public and private sectors as well as foreign investors in Indonesia. It is available for $1997 from Charney Research in New York (www.charneyresearch.com) and CastleAsia in Jakarta (www.castleasia.com).
A series of public seminars to discuss the poll results — managed by the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (212-687-4505) — is planned for the week of June 11 in NY, Houston, Washington D.C.