SINGAPORE — Pollsters in Indonesia have been unerring since direct presidential elections were introduced in 2004.
But this unblemished track record – largely due to survey methods and consistent voter behavior – will be sorely tested at the upcoming regional elections because ofthe Covid-19 pandemic.
The polling companies’ most recent success was at the 2019 presidential election when they gave incumbent President Joko Widodo a lead of 10-20 percentage points over his erstwhile rival Prabowo Subianto. Mr Joko eventually won re-election with 55 percent of the vote against Mr Prabowo’s 44 percent.
Pollsters have also correctly predicted the winners in previous regional elec…
Keep on reading: Coronavirus poses new challenge for Indonesia’s spot-on pollsters