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Economy tops Southeast Asians’ concerns, ISEAS Survey finds
Southeast Asians are preoccupied with the looming threat of global economic recessions, potential military tensions and a “slow and ineffective ASEAN," the latest survey finds.
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New look: People pose with the new logo of ASEAN as Indonesia officially assumes the group's chairmanship following a ceremony in Jakarta on Jan. 29. (AFP/Goh Chai Hin)
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outheast Asians are preoccupied with the looming threat of global economic recessions, potential military tensions and a "slow and ineffective ASEAN," the latest survey finds.
The 2023 State of Southeast Asia study conducted from November 2022 to January 2023 by the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute asked a diverse set of questions to Southeast Asians on geopolitical and economic concerns, ranging from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, regional geopolitical tensions to United States-China rivalry and its impact to the region.
A total of 1,308 respondents from academia, business, government, civil society and the media across Southeast Asia share their insights in English, Indonesian, Khmer, Lao, Burmese, Thai and Vietnamese.
The survey was conducted as the COVID-19 pandemic would have entered its third year, but its shadows had started to dissipate as almost all countries in Southeast Asia had reopened their borders to trade and travel.
In place of the pandemic, economic concerns became the top concerns for Southeast Asians, the survey said, as 59.5 percent of respondents said they feared unemployment and an economic recession out of the pandemic.
Climate change has also become increasingly worrying for Southeast Asians, with 57.1 percent saying that more frequent and intense weather events are the region's second biggest challenge.
Meanwhile, widening socio-economic gaps and increased military tensions were tied in the third top challenges the region faces, with about 41.9 percent of respondents saying so.
