Attitudes and Perceptions of Indonesian Youth on Their Role in Indonesia and Indonesia’s Role in the Region

This project seeks to understand young people’s engagement in shaping Indonesia’s domestic agenda and their perceptions of Indonesia’s role in the region and the international stage within the context of seemingly contradictory trends of westernization and Islamicization. More specifically, it will use the issue of asylum seekers as a case study as this brings in the relationship with Australia within view, to understand how the youth see Indonesia play out in this relationship, as well as how they perceive Indonesia’s role more broadly in the region. It will focus on urban, middle class youth who grew up mostly in the post-Suharto era. It will study both young people who have had direct contact with asylum seekers and those who have not in the Greater Jakarta Area and Makassar to highlight the impact of the media and education on their attitudes and perceptions. This case study is highly indicative of young Indonesian political perceptions as it combines both domestic, bilateral and regional aspects of political engagement and shared responsibilities.