As Indonesia gears up for the 2024 elections, a seismic shift is anticipated as young voters take center stage, constituting 52 percent of the colossal 204,807,222-strong registered voter base.
With millennials and Generation Z at the forefront, these young electorates bring a unique characteristic to the political landscape—a penchant for change, often colloquially described as “moody.”
Their choices, shaped by mood swings, thoughts, and emotions, could influence the nation’s future leadership.
Dr. Mada Sukmajati, a political expert from the UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, shed light on the pivotal role young voters might play during a lecture at the Sekolah Wartawan themed “Understanding the Behavior of Young Voters” held at the UGM Central Building.
“The proportion of voters from these two generations is very significant from the available data. Our initial understanding shows that these generations are still moody in making choices, easily changing their preferences. Unlike previous generations, their fickleness in voting is higher,” remarked Dr. Sukmajati.
Key to understanding this demographic is their affinity for lighter political content. Steering away from weighty and in-depth materials, they prefer a more digestible form of political information.
“They like light political content, so they have a different way of understanding the profiles of the candidates,” Dr. Sukmajati explained.
The malleability of first-time voters raises awareness among presidential, vice-presidential, and legislative candidates. While they tend to flip-flop in their choices, there’s also a struggle to finalize their selection, raising concerns about potential voter abstention.
“They may also make unexpected choices. They may even struggle to make choices until they are in the voting booth, so there is a high potential for them not to vote,” warned Dr. Sukmajati.
Citing a survey conducted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in August 2022, Dr. Sukmajati highlighted the dynamic nature of young voters.
Approximately 51 percent are open to changing their choices for the presidential election, while a staggering 58.1 percent might still switch allegiances for the legislative elections.
“Fluctuations can occur. I am not sure that with such a large percentage, a one-round presidential election will happen,” he assessed.
Unveiling the survey findings, Dr. Mada Sukmajati outlined the crucial issues of young voters. Foremost among them is the economic landscape, with around 44.4 percent emphasizing societal welfare, followed by job opportunities at 21.3 percent.
Other issues include corruption eradication (15.9 percent), democracy and civil liberties (8.8 percent), health (6.2 percent), and environmental concerns (2.3 percent).
“From this survey, the majority of respondents believe that job opportunities are still difficult to find, with 91.0 percent of respondents claiming to have difficulty finding employment,” he concluded.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Photographer: Firsto