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CastleAsia
specializes in market entry strategies and solutions. With more than 25
years of experience in Indonesia, CastleAsia is the leader in analyzing
the risk and rewards of the Indonesian market and advising companies
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New Poll
Finds Indonesians Favorable to US Firms and War on Terror, Angry at
Uncle Sam
Originally published
online by
BusinessWire on May 08, 2007
03:57 PM Eastern
Daylight Time
NEW YORK--(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.
Contacts
American Indonesian
Chamber of Commerce
New York:
Craig Charney,
212-929-6933 / mobile 917-371-2951
Wayne Forrest,
212-687-4505
or
Jakarta:
James Castle,
+62-21-5727321
Todd Callahan,
+62-21-5727321
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PT
Jasa Cita, Wisma Standard Chartered Bank, Floor 15A, Jl. Jend.
Sudirman Kav. 33A, Jakarta 10220, Indonesia.
Phone (62-21) 572 7321 Fax. (62-21) 572 7329 Email:
castle@castleasia.com