Jakarta – The August 2025 public protests, marked by a palpable anti-elite sentiment and social class polarization, were not a spontaneous event. According to a new analysis from the Monash Data and Democracy Research Hub, this dynamic is the culmination of political and social frustrations that have been building since the 2024 election.
The research team analyzed nearly 10 million digital conversations across social media and news platforms, focusing on 13,780 original posts from August 25 to 31, 2025. Their findings revealed that 29.1% of the conversations were classified as toxic, with a sharp increase between August 28 and 30. This spike coincided with the escalation of violence following the death of online ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan.
"This polarization stems from the tension between privileged groups, political elites, officials, and economic stakeholders versus the vulnerable working and middle classes. The August protests only reaffirm this gap," said Derry Wijaya, Co-Director of Monash Data and Democracy Research, in a report co-authored with Ika Idris.
The researchers found that 20% of the conversations were polarized, with anger as the dominant emotion (47.3%). However, they noted that polarization is not purely destructive. "It also functions as a bond of solidarity among vulnerable communities," the report stated.
Public emotions fluctuated from initial anticipation to a peak of anger, later mixed with sadness, fear, and surprise. Social media served as a crucial space for people to articulate a collective "people versus the elite" narrative.
The study also documented a shift in the "17+8 Movement," where anger was gradually replaced with more neutral or even joyful sentiments. The focus of the digital conversation shifted from raw emotion to a focus on tangible solutions and symbolic acts of solidarity.
Monash suggests that this trend of polarization has been consistent since September 2023, evident throughout the 2024 national and regional elections.
The August 2025 demonstrations, therefore, represent the peak of public rejection of the opulent lifestyle of certain political elites amidst widespread economic hardship.
Based on their findings, the report offered several recommendations to the government:
1. Acknowledge the class tensions and the widening gap with the public.
2. Provide transparent and concrete responses, avoiding repression.
3. Stop glorifying the luxurious lifestyles of officials.
4. Strengthen safe and accountable channels for public grievances.
"These protests were not incited by external actors, but rather a reflection of the accumulation of public frustrations over the past two years. Disregarding these signals will only worsen the crisis of trust," the report concluded.