Jakarta – A survey published on Tuesday has found that the internet has alienated voters who have political efficacy and high interest in politics, but are distrustful of political institutions.
The survey, which was conducted by Indikator Politik Indonesia (Indonesian Political Indicator) from June 19 to 27, showed that people who often access the internet were more interested in politics, but were likely to be skeptical of political organizations.
In the survey, which involved 2,290 eligible voters for the 2014 election from 33 provinces across Indonesia, 10 percent or 229 respondents had often accessed the internet in recent months, either every day or several days a week. Of that number, 89 respondents expressed their interest in politics, while 153 kept abreast with political news through the internet.
Meanwhile, 81 percent of the total number of respondents said that they never accessed the internet, with only 26 percent of that showed interest in politics, and only 43 percent following political news.
Indikator Politik Indonesia executive director Burhanuddin Muhtadi said that the internet had become a political news source with faster and more variety of information than print media for many people. He also said, however, that just like television or print news media, most online media delivered news coverage focused on the negative behavior of politicians.
"That kind of news, both online and in other media, informs the public of the workings of political institutions, but gives rise to distrust in them. This makes those accessing the internet more politically alienated than those who do not," he said.
The survey showed that only 35 percent of the total number of respondents who often accessed the internet trusted the House of Representatives, while 42 percent of the respondents who never accessed the internet trusted the House.
House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung Wibowo said that a lot of online media often focused only on misbehaviors of lawmakers. "When a member of the House falls asleep during a meeting, the media would cover that, but when he visits different regions the media do not cover that," he explained.
The survey also showed relatively low levels of trust from those with internet access toward other political entities, such as politicians and the President.
According to the survey, only 27 percent of total respondents who often accessed the internet trusted in politicians and 63 percent trusted the President. Meanwhile, 31 percent of the respondents who never accessed the internet trusted politicians and 70 percent trusted the President.
Burhanudin said that the survey results were a bad sign for many politicians and political parties, because there could be a higher abstention rate in the next election. He said, however, that the internet, especially social media, could also be a vehicle for politicians and political parties.
"Social media like Facebook and Twitter could be very good vehicles for politicians and political parties to communicate and attract those who often access the internet," he said.
The survey, which has a margin of error of 2.1 percent and a confidence level of 95 percent, found that 14 percent of the respondents had Twitter and Facebook accounts. This percentage would represent over 26 million voters in the 2014 election. (koi)