Using original survey data, we test the level, distribution, and demographic patterns of populist attitudes in Indonesia. Populist attitudes are widely spread across the political spectrum; disproportionately high in the middle and upper classes; and particularly robust when coupled with other primary ideologies, such as Islamism and secularism.

During his second year in power, Indonesian President Joko Widodo faced contradictory yet interrelated trends: while he consolidated his grip over parliament and improved his approval ratings, the president’s remaining opponents shifted the focus of political contestation from the state’s institutions onto the streets. Additionally burdened by economic uncertainty and rising regional tensions over the South China Sea, Indonesian democracy thus continues to be vulnerable, its outward stability notwithstanding.

Indonesia in 2009 witnessed the election of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to his second and final term in office. Rebounding from an all-time low in the opinion polls in mid-2008, Yudhoyono beat his opponents by initiating cleverly timed welfare programs for the poor and providing prudent leadership in the global economic crisis. Ten years after the end of autocratic rule, Indonesia has rather surprisingly established itself as Southeast Asia's most successful democracy.

Indonesia in 2008 presented an apparent paradox: despite generally strong political and economic performance indicators, the popularity of President Yudhoyono's government fluctuated wildly. As campaigning for the 2009 elections began, Yudhoyono's solid lead evaporated, although he recovered toward the end of 2008. The opposition, however, remains divided.