Kompas Research and Development Survey: China Perceived as a Threat in the South China Sea
The majority of respondents to the Kompas Research and Development survey stated that China's presence in the South China Sea (SCS) poses a threat, not only to Indonesia but also to surrounding countries.
The survey showed that 76.6% of respondents considered China's increasing presence in the SCS a threat. Gen Z accounted for 18.9% of the responses, Gen X 23.5%, and Baby Boomers 6%.
Meanwhile, 15.4%, mostly Gen Y, considered China's presence to be beneficial for Indonesia. Around 8% said they didn't know.
"If we want to know who sees China's presence as beneficial for Indonesia, Gen Y considers it to be an advantage," explained Kompas Research and Development researcher Dimas Okto in the webinar "Maintaining Sovereignty and Making Friends in the South China Sea" held by the Indonesia Strategic & Defense Studies (ISDS) on Thursday (July 17).
He explained that this appears to be because Gen Y, as the youngest generation, lacks knowledge or exposure to regional conflicts, including the China confrontation. Consequently, their perception of China is more lenient than that of Baby Boomers and Gen Z.
"Perhaps the Baby Boomers themselves witnessed previous wars. For the newer, younger generation, those wars are far from their reach. At most, they're involved with Russia, and not within ASEAN. Therefore, their perception of China's presence is more lenient," he said.
Regarding enhancing Indonesia's sovereign security, the majority of respondents (21.4%) highlighted the importance of partnerships with ASEAN countries in addressing the South China Sea issue. Among member states, Malaysia (52.3%) was considered the most appropriate country for Indonesia to collaborate with to resolve the issue.
The survey was conducted using a telephone poll using simple random sampling from the Kompas Research and Development database. A total of 321 respondents from Medan, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar were recruited. (BP-IDM)
