Survey reveals high public satisfaction with Jokowi and potential impact of his endorsement on 2024 Presidential Election

INDONESIA: Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) recently unveiled the findings of its latest survey, focusing on the “Effect of Jokowi in the 2024 Presidential Election.”

The survey, conducted in July 2023, indicates that 40.6 percent of the public believes that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) supports the candidacy of Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.

Meanwhile, 28.3 percent mentioned that Jokowi would back Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, and 11.9 percent believe Jokowi supports former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.

Saiful Mujani, the Director of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC).

Public satisfaction with Jokowi

According to the Director of SMRC, Saiful Mujani, the discussion about Jokowi’s endorsements is significant due to the highly positive satisfaction rate the public has with Jokowi’s performance.

The July 2023 SMRC survey showed that public satisfaction with Jokowi was at 77.3 percent and even reached approximately 80 percent at one point.

“If the public’s assessment of Jokowi is very positive, and if he supports a particular candidate, then those who view Jokowi positively are likely to support the candidates he endorses,” said Saiful in his statement on Thursday (3 Aug).

Saiful further added that voters who have a positive view of Jokowi expect the continuation of his programs in the subsequent government.

Among the four names presented in the survey, 40 percent of respondents believed that Ganjar could continue Jokowi’s policy programs, while 29.7 percent mentioned Prabowo, 15 percent chose Anies, and only 0.9 percent supported Airlangga Hartarto.

There were still 14.4 percent of respondents who had not provided an answer.

Saiful highlighted that the perception that Ganjar can carry on Jokowi’s policies remained relatively stable across the three surveys conducted from April to July 2023 (44.5 percent in April-May; 36.3 percent in May; and 40 percent in July 2023).

On the other hand, the perception that Prabowo could continue Jokowi’s policies slightly increased from 25 percent in April-May to 27.9 percent in May and 29.7 percent in July 2023.

Deddy Yevri Sitorus, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)

Deddy Yevri Sitorus, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and also the Secretary of the National Coordination Team for Ganjar Pranowo’s Volunteer Campaign, expressed his gratitude for the public’s trust in President Jokowi’s support for Ganjar Pranowo’s candidacy.

“We are grateful that more of the public believes that President Jokowi will endorse Ganjar Prabowo and consider him most suitable to continue Jokowi’s legacy,” said Deddy when contacted by Tribunnews on Friday (4 Aug).

Deddy further emphasized that Ganjar is perceived as the right candidate to carry on Jokowi’s government legacy.

Deddy also believes that this public trust aligns with what President Jokowi has done, especially considering that Jokowi was the one who promoted Ganjar Pranowo.

The close relationship between Jokowi and Ganjar

Additionally, both Jokowi and Ganjar are members of the PDI-P and have maintained a close relationship for a long time. Deddy stated that the framing of the notion that there is no closeness between Jokowi and Ganjar, attempted by certain parties, is automatically refuted by the results of this survey.

The SMRC survey results shed light on the potential impact of President Jokowi’s endorsement on the 2024 Presidential Election.

With Jokowi’s high approval ratings and positive public perception, his support could significantly influence the voter’s preferences and the candidate’s electability.

As the election draws nearer, it remains to be seen how these endorsements will shape the political landscape in the country.