Jakarta – Terrorism emanating from the global extremist group Islamic State (IS) and the state of the world economy are the two biggest concerns among Indonesians, according to survey data on threat assessment released by Pew Research Center last year.
The survey, which was conducted in 26 countries in 2018, showed that 81 percent of the respondents in Indonesia considered IS to be the biggest concern in recent years, while others – 60 percent of the respondents – regarded the outlook for the global economy as most disconcerting.
Fewer Indonesians – 56 percent of respondents – thought climate change a major threat, whereas others – 43 percent and 31 percent of respondents, respectively – expressed their fears about China's and Russia's growing power and influence.
Climate change is the top international threat in 13 countries that took part in the survey, including Greece (90 percent), South Korea (86 percent) and France (83 percent).
Meanwhile, IS was seen as the top threat in eight of the countries surveyed, including Indonesia, Russia, and Nigeria. In four nations, including Japan and the United States, respondents saw cyberattacks from foreign governments as their top international concern.
Some 660 Indonesian citizens have been identified as foreign terrorist fighters who have pledged allegiance to IS and joined the movement in Syria and surrounding countries.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo recently voiced his personal disapproval of the idea of repatriating Indonesian nationals who belonged to IS, although he added that a Cabinet meeting would be held to discuss the matter further.
"If you asked me, before the Cabinet meeting, I would say no [repatriation], but it will be [discussed] in the Cabinet meeting," said Jokowi at the State Palace on Wednesday. (rfa)