From June 15 to July 17, 2025, the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication conducted a nationally representative survey of 2,000 Indonesian adults (18+). The study was designed to investigate current public climate change awareness, beliefs, attitudes, policy support, and behavior. It also investigates public attitudes regarding different energy sources and support for a clean energy transition in Indonesia.
Among the key findings of this report:
Climate Change Awareness and Beliefs
- 73% of people in Indonesia say they know either “just a little” about climate change (53%) or have never heard of it (21%), while only 2% say they know “a lot.”
- However, when given a short definition of climate change and how it affects weather patterns, 86% say climate change is happening.
- 65% think climate change is caused mostly by human activities, while 31% think it is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment.
- Large majorities of Indonesians correctly say that climate change is caused by deforestation (90%), vehicles that use petrol or diesel (86%), or electricity power plants that use coal or natural gas (77%). However, only 27% understand that raising animals like cows, sheep, and chickens for milk or food contributes to climate change. Meanwhile, large majorities of Indonesians also incorrectly say that littering (84%) or the hole in the ozone layer (71%) cause climate change, while 73% attribute climate change to God’s will (Kehendak Tuhan).
Perceived Risks of Climate Change
- 83% of people in Indonesia are worried about climate change, including 33% who are “very worried.”
- Majorities think climate change will harm plants and animals (78%), future generations (78%), people in Indonesia (77%), and themselves personally (60%).
- However, only 29% think people in Indonesia are already being harmed by climate change.
Policy Support
- 93% of people in Indonesia support a national program to teach all Indonesians about climate change.
- 70% think climate change should be either a “very high” or “high” priority for the government of Indonesia.
- 77% say the government of Indonesia should be doing either “much more” or “more” to address climate change.
- 85% favor Indonesia’s participation in the Paris Climate Agreement.
- 94% support a national program to train people for new jobs in the renewable energy industry such as wind and solar.
- 94% support building new electricity transmission lines to reach all of Indonesia.
- 89% support producing 100% of Indonesia’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2040.
- 78% support requiring that fuel for cars, trucks, and vans in Indonesia use 60% biodiesel.
- 74% support providing tax subsidies for electric vehicles.
- 68% support requiring new buildings to waste less water and energy, even if this increases their cost.
- 30% favor eliminating government subsidies for gas cooking fuel in Indonesia, while 69% oppose doing so.
- Most people in Indonesia support programs to protect the environment, including:
- A national program to fund women’s groups and Indigenous communities to protect the environment (96%).
- Increasing national funding to help smallholder farmers produce palm oil without clearing protected forests (94%).
- Preserving or expanding forested areas, even if this means less land for agriculture or housing (71%).
Attitudes About Energy Sources
- Majorities of people in Indonesia say that solar energy is either a “very clean” or “somewhat clean” source of electricity (93%), along with hydroelectric energy (87%), wind energy (81%), biofuel (73%), natural gas (64%), and geothermal energy (61%). Indonesians are more evenly split regarding oil (with 51% saying it is “clean”) and coal (44% clean), while relatively few view nuclear power as a clean source of electricity (25%).
- Twice as many Indonesians say using renewable energy sources will result in fewer power outages (54%) than say using fossil fuel will do so (27%).
- A majority of Indonesians say biofuel production should be increased by intensifying the use of existing farmland (65%). Far fewer say it should be done by cutting down more forests (8%), and 17% say it should be done by doing both. Only 7% say Indonesia should not increase its production of biofuels.
Support for Transitioning to Clean Energy
- Majorities of Indonesians say that in the future, Indonesia should use “much more” or “more” renewable energy (65%) and more fossil fuels (53%) than it does today.
- 83% favor the Indonesian government’s commitment to reduce Indonesia’s carbon pollution to nearly zero by 2060.
- Overall, providing a better life for our children and grandchildren (23%) is Indonesians’ top reason for favoring the country’s commitment to reduce carbon pollution to nearly zero, followed by creating new jobs and a stronger economy (20%) and improving people’s health (13%).
- 56% say leaving most of Indonesia’s coal in the ground is the best pathway to a healthy, safe, and prosperous future for Indonesia.
- 79% favor banning the construction of new coal power plants, closing existing ones, and replacing them with solar and wind energy.
- A large majority of Muslims in Indonesia (79%) favor using Islamic charity such as zakat (obligatory almsgiving), infaq and sedekah (voluntary donations), and wakaf (endowments of property or assets for public benefit) to support the national transition to renewable energy.
Personal and Social Engagement with Climate Change
- 88% of Indonesians say climate change is either “extremely” (12%), “very” (51%), or “somewhat” important (25%) to them personally.
- However, only 21% say they hear about climate change in the media at least once a week. Similarly, only 20% say they hear about climate change on social media, and 11% say they hear people they know talk about climate change at least once a week.
- 76% think it is at least “moderately” important to their family and friends that they take action to reduce climate change (an injunctive norm), but only 27% say their family and friends make at least “a moderate amount of effort” to reduce climate change (a descriptive norm).
Willingness to Take Action to Reduce Climate Change
- When asked about actions to help reduce climate change, few Indonesians say they have already taken any actions. However, many Indonesians say they might take actions including: donate to a group working on environmental issues (54%); express their views about climate change to others using social media (46%); join or volunteer in a group working on climate change (47%); contact a government official about climate change either directly or indirectly (through social media, letters, or emails; 42%); attend peaceful demonstrations to convince officials to take action to reduce climate change (42%); and/or sign a petition about climate change (including online; 44%).