Hasto Responds to Decline in Public Satisfaction with Government

PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto has responded to the decline in public satisfaction with the performance of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration. According to the latest survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), public satisfaction with the government’s performance fell from 81.1 percent in November 2025 to 51.1 percent in July 2026. According to Hasto, the survey captures the middle class’s dissatisfaction with the political, social, and economic conditions that have led to their downward mobility into poverty. He warned that ignoring the aspirations of the middle class could create new problems, as explained by the Chilean Paradox phenomenon. The Chilean Paradox describes a contradictory situation where a country appears statistically successful in economic terms but simultaneously experiences social upheaval and public discontent. ‘The decline of the middle class into poverty is very dangerous because if their critical views are not responded to with appropriate policies, it could create social and political risks. We do not want that,’ Hasto said at the PDI-P Central Executive Board office in Jakarta on 26 July 2026. He stated that the responsibility for improving domestic conditions lies not only with the government but with all elements of society. This way, interventions in political and economic issues can be carried out quickly and accurately. ‘So, everyone should work hard for the nation and state, both inside and outside the government. Everyone sees that political and economic issues, as well as problems in the real sector, require very swift action and that requires our unity,’ said the former member of the House of Representatives. Separately, Hasto also commented on the SMRC research, expressing his belief that data collection for surveys needs to combine quantitative and qualitative methods to truly capture the opinions of the grassroots. SMRC Executive Director Deni Irvani stated that the decline in satisfaction levels is closely related to the drop in positive sentiment towards economic and political conditions and law enforcement as of July 2026. ‘In the last nine months, those who feel very or quite satisfied with President Prabowo’s performance fell from 81.1 percent in November 2025 to 51.1 percent in the latest July 2026 survey,’ Deni said in a written statement on Sunday. Over the same period, public dissatisfaction with the President increased from 16 percent to 46.9 percent. However, the survey did not detail the specific causes of the increased dissatisfaction with the government’s performance. SMRC conducted the poll among 749 randomly selected respondents from 5 to 19 July 2026. The survey population, titled ‘Economic and Political Conditions and Presidential Approval Rating’, consisted of Indonesian citizens with voting rights in general elections. The survey’s margin of error was 3.7 percent with a 95 percent confidence level.