ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Polit. Sci.
Sec. Comparative Governance
This article is part of the Research TopicPragmatism and Democratic Backsliding: Local Election Dynamics in Southeast AsiaView all 6 articles
THREAT TO INDONESIAN DEMOCRACY IN THE 2024 ELECTIONS: PUBLIC PERCEPTION ON JAVA ISLAND
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia
- 2Algoritma Research and Consulting, Jakarta, Indonesia
- 3Kompas Newspaper, Jakarta, Indonesia
- 4Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
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This study examines perceptions about democracy problems on Java Island, which, as Indonesia's most populous region, plays a central role in shaping national electoral outcomes. The study aims to shed light on national sentiments about Indonesia's democratic trajectory, offering a timely assessment that may inform policies aimed at preserving democratic integrity in one of Southeast Asia's largest democracies. The primary data for this study were collected through a public opinion survey conducted on Java Island, which is home to approximately 60% of Indonesia's population. The survey covered six key provinces: Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java. The sample size was 2,431 respondents, who were selected using a multi-stage random sampling method to ensure representativeness based on age, gender, and regional distribution. The data collection took place from November 27 to December 8, 2023. The findings from Java Island suggest that Indonesia's democracy is at a critical juncture. Public perceptions of executive overreach, judicial bias, political dynasties, and institutional manipulation reflect broader patterns of democratic backsliding observed globally. As public trust in democratic institutions declines, Indonesia risks moving toward a system where democratic norms are gradually undermined, potentially destabilizing the political landscape.
Keywords: democratic backsliding, dynasty politics, elections, Indonesian politics, Polling
Received: 02 Nov 2025; Accepted: 18 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Perdana, Nursahid, Wahyu and Pribadi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Aditya Perdana
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