Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

4. Attitudes About Energy Sources

4.1. Nearly all Indonesians view solar as a clean source of electricity.

Large majorities of Indonesians view multiple sources of electricity as either “very clean” or “somewhat clean” sources of electricity:

• Solar (93%; including 55% who say “very clean”)
• Hydroelectric (87%; 40% “very clean”)
• Wind (81%; 38% “very clean”)
• Biofuel (73%; 26% “very clean”)
• Natural gas (64%; 19% “very clean”)
• Geothermal (61%; 18% “very clean”)

Indonesians are more evenly split regarding oil (clean = 51%; dirty = 47%) and coal (clean = 44%; dirty = 51%). In contrast, a majority of Indonesians view nuclear power as a dirty source of electricity (clean = 25%; dirty = 63%)

4.2. A majority of Indonesians think generating electricity with renewable energy sources will result in fewer power outages.

Asked whether they think generating electricity with renewable energy sources or fossil fuels will result in fewer power outages, 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%). Additionally, 14% say both of these ways of generating electricity will do so about equally.

4.3. A majority of Indonesians think Indonesia should increase biofuel production by intensifying the use of existing farmland.

President Prabowo Subianto has called for an increase in biofuel production (such as palm oil and sugar cane) to reduce Indonesia’s reliance on oilReuters. (2024, August 26). Indonesia’s Prabowo hopes to implement 50% palm-based biodiesel blending by 2025. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/indonesias-prabowo-hopes-implement-50-palm-based-biodiesel-blending-by-2025-2024-08-26/. When asked to consider a number of ways of achieving that, a majority of Indonesians say it should be done 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.