Public Approval of President Prabowo Hits Record 79.9%, Surpasses SBY and Jokowi

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Public approval of President Prabowo Subianto has reached a record 79.9% on Sunday, Feb 8, 2026 in Jakarta, surpassing early-term ratings of former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or SBY and Joko Widodo or Jokowi, reflecting strong political consolidation and electoral support that has stabilized his leadership. The figure showed broad satisfaction driven by Prabowo’s ability to merge his own voter base with loyal Jokowi supporters, strengthening governance confidence.

The result was revealed in a national public perception survey titled “Findings of the National Survey: Public Perception of Presidential Performance and Public Trust in State Institutions,” released virtually by Indikator Politik Indonesia on Sunday. The survey assessed public satisfaction with Prabowo’s performance during the early phase of his presidency.

Founder and Lead Researcher of Indikator Politik Indonesia Burhanuddin Muhtadi said a majority of respondents expressed satisfaction with Prabowo’s leadership. About 66.9% said they were fairly satisfied, while 13% said they were very satisfied.

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“This is an extraordinary achievement in Indonesia’s political landscape. It is exceptionally high for a presidential approval rating,” Burhanuddin said.

He said the level of trust exceeded the early-term approval ratings of both SBY and Jokowi. The high satisfaction level, he added, was closely linked to what he described as dual political support behind Prabowo.

Burhanuddin said Prabowo had successfully consolidated his own voter base with the loyal support base of Jokowi, creating a powerful electoral effect. “In addition to having his own base, Prabowo also benefits from Jokowi’s electoral support,” he said.

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He stressed that Prabowo’s current political capital was far stronger than that enjoyed by SBY or Jokowi at the start of their presidencies. “This is an important note that needs to be highlighted,” Burhanuddin said.

According to him, Prabowo’s landslide victory in the 2024 presidential election, with 96 million votes, formed the main foundation of that strength. The figure marked the highest number of votes ever secured by a presidential and vice presidential ticket in Indonesia’s history.

By comparison, the SBY–Boediono ticket peaked at around 70 million votes, while Jokowi in two elections never matched the 96 million-vote mark.

“This is a very large electoral capital, supported by a coalition between Mr Prabowo’s base and Mr Jokowi’s base, represented by Jokowi’s son, who we know is Prabowo’s running mate,” Burhanuddin said.

He said the combination of these forces had kept Prabowo’s approval rating relatively stable and consistently above his predecessors, despite some fluctuations in mid-2025. Support from Indonesia’s seventh president, represented by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was seen as a key factor in maintaining public satisfaction.

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“So if we compare them, except for a drop after the late August 2025 events, Prabowo’s approval rating has generally been higher than Jokowi’s or SBY’s because he draws strength from two sources at once,” Burhanuddin said.

Burhanuddin said the survey population consisted of all Indonesian citizens eligible to vote, aged 17 and above or married at the time of the survey. Sampling was conducted using a multistage random sampling method.

The survey involved 1,220 respondents, with a margin of error of about 2.9% at a 95% confidence level. Samples were proportionally distributed across all provinces in Indonesia.

Respondents were interviewed face to face by trained interviewers, while quality control checks covered 20% of the sample through random spot checks by supervisors. “No significant errors were found during quality control,” Burhanuddin said.

The survey launch also featured several national figures, including academic, media, and research leaders from universities, broadcast networks, and business media groups.