The State of Southeast Asia survey, now in its 6th year, continues to gauge the views and perceptions of Southeast Asians on geopolitical developments affecting the region, key international affairs and how ASEAN Dialogue Partners have engaged with the region over the preceding year.
The objective of The State of Southeast Asia survey is to present a snapshot of the prevailing attitudes among those in a position to inform or influence policy on regional issues. The survey is not meant to present a definitive view of issues in the region. This year’s survey was conducted over a period of seven weeks from 3 January 2024 to 23 February 2024. The survey was offered in six language options – English, Bahasa Indonesia, Burmese, Khmer, Thai, and Vietnamese. A total of 1,994 respondents from ten Southeast Asian countries took part in the survey.
There are six sections in the survey. Section I covers the profile of the respondents by nationality, affiliation, age, and education. Section II explores the regional outlook and provides viewpoints on international affairs in the past year. Section III examines regional influence and leadership of major and middle powers. Section IV looks into ASEAN’s options in the changing regional political-security architecture. Section V measures perceptions of trust among Southeast Asians towards five countries – China, US, Japan, the European Union, and India. Section VI gauges levels of soft power in the region based on travel and work relocation choices. The questions and results have been reorganised for optimal flow and reporting. Figures have been rounded up/down to the nearest one decimal point, and may not add up to 100.0% exactly.
