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Change is not particularly welcome, regardless of sex or
level of education, in Indonesia. About four out of five people believe
that there is "too much change going on these days".
The same number are "environmentalists at heart", with more than half
the population trying to "recycle everything I can".
These are facts that may come as a surprise to people from Western
cultures, where shopping bags are not saved for reuse.
This report dwells on who Indonesians are as people. The information is
based on Roy Morgan Single Source, a national survey with 25,000
respondents annually, covering 90 percent of Indonesia's population
over the age of 14.
This is a deeply religious country where 90 percent of the population
agrees that "religion is an important part of everyday life".
Three out of four Indonesians "regularly go to my place of worship". We
all know the position that major religions take on homosexuality and
the influence, therefore, on all the faithful.
Above all, people want security in their lives, as well as in their
jobs. Then comes the desire for "a full social life" -- witness the
ever-popular arisan. Around 78 percent have visited or entertained
friends or relatives in the last three months. Sports are not a way of
life, but soccer is the dominant game. With most women above the age of
25 married and not working, 87 percent of housewives "love to cook" and
86 percent work until the home is "neat and tidy".
Not surprisingly, 73 percent enjoy doing their grocery shopping too.
Dressmaking at home is very popular with the ladies, as is gardening.
One out of four people have a pet at home, including, of course, those
in extended families.
All concerned, regardless of race, will be pleased to know that 89
percent consider themselves "Indonesians" first, not Batak or Sundanese
or any other grouping. Around three out of four people believe they are
extroverts, almost 73 percent are hedonists who "really want to enjoy
things now because I know what the future will bring", and 88 percent
believe that "success is important to me." In sharp contrast, 64
percent of the population would like "things to stay the same!"
Personal beliefs such as these have an influence on Roy Morgan Values
Segments, a socio-economic map of the country, produced in conjunction
with Colin Benjamin of the Horizon Network. To a sociologist or a
marketer, the map is a more sensitive tool to understand society or the
marketplace than is household expenditure, the old one-dimensional
socio-economic strata that Indonesia has lived with for many years.
At the top-end of the economic scale are the groups "Achievement" at 8
percent and "Socially Aware" at 1 percent, both equally affluent and
with real disposable incomes. The difference between the two groups
lies in their values. For example, "Vas" are more conservative, "SAs"
more liberal.
In the U.S., the first group would likely be Republicans, the second
group likely to be Democrats. At the heart of any society is "The
Family", and Indonesia, a vibrant young country, has 34 percent of its
population in the youthful group, "Conventional Family Life".
In contrast, an aging Australia has only 9 percent. Similarly,
self-focussed teenagers in Indonesia account for 21 percent of society,
followed by the third largest group comprising older parents and
grandparents, "Family Life" with 13 percent.
At the bottom of the socio-economic scale are "Fairer Deal" at 6
percent and "Basic Needs", the first struggling to build a future and
the latter in their twilight years, keeping their heads above water.
Significantly, only 2 percent of Indonesia is in "Basic Needs", simply
because very few older folk live on their own in Asia, in contrast to
western societies.
Final-year students and first-jobbers with rose-tinted glasses form the
"Young Optimism" group with 1.4 percent, while older professionals in
"Something Better" at 1.6 percent are looking for their next promotion,
their next raise. "Real Conservatives" with fundamentalist views make
up the rest with 12 percent of the population.
The contributor is an advertising professional turned researcher and
consultant, based in Melbourne. He has lived and worked across the Asia
Pacific region, including Indonesia.
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