I

ndonesians generally view Australians in a positive light even though their neighbors Down Under might not feel the same way, a recent study has shown, giving weight to the widely-held perception of a “love-hate” relationship between the two countries.

A recent survey by the Australian government-sanctioned Australia-Indonesia Centre (AIC) shows that 87 percent of Indonesian respondents perceive Australia favorably, compared to the 43 percent of Australians who feel a similar way toward Indonesia.

According to the report, the majority of Australian respondents (47 percent) view Indonesia with a “subdued, if not pessimistic outlook,” due to the impact of negative coverage on Indonesian issues.

This view is further compounded by the indifference of Australians to their nearest geographical neighbor — only 19 percent of Australians feel they have a good understanding of Indonesia.

Jakarta and Canberra have endured a long and tumultuous relationship, which has in recent years been marked by trust-eroding incidents like last year’s execution of two jail-reformed Australian drug-ring leaders and a major spying row during the time of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s (SBY) presidency.

Indonesia recalled its ambassador to Canberra in 2013 amid allegations that the Australian government had spied on then president SBY, his wife and other top state officials.

Both nations are also at loggerheads over the handling of refugees and asylum seekers, particularly with regard to Australia’s “turn-back-the-boats” policy, which has recently come back into the spotlight following revelations of child abuse at Australian-led offshore detention camps.

Several government changes later, both countries have tried to smooth things over in an effort to restore strained ties, with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull flying into Jakarta in November 2015 in his first state visit after ousting the out-of-favor Tony Abbott.

“We hope it kickstarts discussion about ways to improve the relationship,” AIC director Paul Ramadge told The Jakarta Post in a statement on Tuesday. “The AIC is setting out to create a knowledge base on Australia-Indonesia attitudes and perceptions that makes a positive and longlasting impact.”

The Indonesian Embassy in Australia declined to comment on the report.

The study, conducted by EY Sweeney on behalf of the AIC, aims to understand the awareness, perceptions and knowledge of the citizens of each country toward the other, as well as identify the influences and drivers of such attitudes.

Trade, education, health, security and cultural knowledge are seen as the “key drivers of a closer Australia-Indonesia relationship”, according to the findings of the research.

The study involved 2,103 face-to-face interviews in 11 of Indonesia’s 33 provinces and 2,008 online interviews in all Australian states and territories.

Separately, international relations expert Teuku Rezasyah said he was wary of the results, raising the possibility that the sample used by the AIC might not represent reality on the ground.

He urged Australia to seriously consider the profiles of the people who take the survey and place an emphasis on Indonesians who will influence bilateral ties in the future, such as private sector players, young civil servants and decorated law enforcers.

Rezasyah also reminded Australians that the level of education varies between the two countries.

Even so, the Padjadjaran University lecturer acknowledged Australia’s tendency not to share Indonesia’s comparatively buoyant and optimistic outlook.

“[Indonesia’s] stance has been to acknowledge Australia as a friendly ally, but Australia likes to meddle in our country’s domestic problems. That in itself is an unfriendly policy,” Rezasyah told the Post, while noting both countries’ interdependency with the other.

“We have never been the ones to be prejudiced [against Australians]. It is they who rate Indonesia negatively.”