Climate Change in the Indonesian Mind

The report finds that while a majority of Indonesians are worried about global warming, deforestation, and forest fires, there is a significant lack of basic knowledge regarding the definition and causes of climate change. Most respondents feel a strong moral obligation to protect the environment and believe in collective efficacy, yet very few engage in active environmental or political activism.

• There is a significant gap in basic climate change knowledge among Indonesians; 76% of adults report knowing only 'a little' or having 'never heard of' global warming, and only 44% correctly identified the definition of climate change as involving long-term changes in weather patterns over decades or more.
• Despite low baseline knowledge, a majority of Indonesians believe global warming is occurring after being provided with a definition, and 29% believe it is primarily caused by human activities.
• Indonesians express high levels of concern regarding global warming, deforestation, and forest fires, with 73%, 80%, and 81% reporting they are 'worried' or 'very worried' about these issues respectively.
• Public perception of deforestation is conflicted; while 80% are worried about it and 40% believe cutting down forests is never justified, 60% believe it is justified for reasons such as building public infrastructure, reducing poverty, or increasing state revenue.
• There is very low public awareness and understanding of Indonesia's Indigenous people (Masyarakat Adat), with 62% knowing little or nothing about them and only 4% recognizing that the term does not refer to all people or tribes in the country.
• Indonesians report strong environmental values and a sense of moral duty, with 91% feeling morally obligated to protect the environment for the common good and 70% stating they like to be identified as an 'environmental activist'.
• There is a stark contrast between environmental values and actual behavior; very few Indonesians engage in political or organized environmental activism, with only 18% donating to environmental groups and only 4% participating in boycotts.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (n.d.). Climate Change in the Indonesian Mind. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2023/09/climate-change-in-the-indonesian-mind-e.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Climate Change in the Indonesian Mind. n.d. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2023/09/climate-change-in-the-indonesian-mind-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=Climate Change in the Indonesian Mind |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2023/09/climate-change-in-the-indonesian-mind-e.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunicationndclimate, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Climate Change in the Indonesian Mind}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2023/09/climate-change-in-the-indonesian-mind-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }