LSI Survey: Public Wants to Be Involved in Constitutional Amendments

The Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) has revealed that the majority of Indonesians reject the authority of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) to amend the 1945 Constitution without public participation.

The results of the survey titled “Evaluation and Public Commitment to Pancasila” were released on Sunday, 12 April 2026. The survey was conducted from 4 to 12 March 2026, involving 2,020 respondents aged 17 years or older, or already married at the time of the survey.

“Indeed, amending the 1945 Constitution does not involve direct public participation. But we asked for their opinions. Generally, the public wants that if there is an amendment to the 1945 Constitution, they still want to be involved,” said LSI Executive Director Djayadi Hanan during the release presentation on LSI’s YouTube channel on Sunday, 12 April 2026.

As many as 56.4 per cent of the public reject the MPR’s authority to amend the 1945 Constitution without including the people. The breakdown is 46.5 per cent disagree and 9.9 per cent strongly disagree. Meanwhile, only 5.3 per cent said they strongly agree and 29.6 per cent agree. The remaining 8.8 per cent did not know or did not answer.

This survey also highlights public views on the need for a referendum in amending the 1945 Constitution. The majority of respondents believe that such a mechanism is necessary.

Djayadi explained that the idea of a referendum represents public aspiration, even though it is not regulated in the constitution. “A referendum is like a census asking every person whether an amendment is needed or not. But once again, this is an opinion, because constitutionally there is none since the 1945 Constitution does not provide for a referendum and direct public involvement in changing the 1945 Constitution,” he said.

As many as 74 per cent of respondents stated that amending the 1945 Constitution must involve the public widely and directly through a referendum. They do not want the decision to be solely in the hands of the MPR. Meanwhile, 14.7 per cent of respondents reject direct public involvement, and 11.4 per cent others did not answer or did not know.

This survey used the multistage random sampling method with a margin of error of ±2.2 per cent at a 95 per cent confidence level (assuming simple random sampling). Data collection was carried out through face-to-face interviews by trained interviewers. Quality control of the interview results was conducted randomly on 20 per cent of the total sample by supervisors using the spot check method. The results found no significant errors.