Survey Claims Widespread Religious Freedom in Indonesia, Critics Point to Stark Gaps

Survey claims 97% religious freedom in Indonesia, but critics warn minority experiences and structural discrimination tell a different story.

Newsroom (24/04/2026 Gaudium Press )A nationwide survey claiming that 97 percent of Indonesians feel free to practice their religion has sparked debate, with critics arguing the findings mask deeper structural inequalities and minority experiences.

The survey, titled “Public Evaluation and Commitment to Pancasila,” was conducted by Lingkaran Survei Indonesia between March 4 and March 12, sampling 2,020 respondents aged 17 and older. Its findings, released on April 12, suggest a strong perception of religious freedom across the country. According to the data, 56.6 percent of respondents reported feeling “very free,” while 40.7 percent felt “quite free.” Only 1.1 percent said they felt “less free,” 0.5 percent “very unfree,” and 1.1 percent were unsure.

Pancasila, the ideological foundation of Indonesia, emphasizes belief in one God, civilized humanity, national unity, deliberative democracy, and social justice. The survey sought to measure public sentiment toward these principles, particularly in the context of religious freedom in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

However, the composition of the survey sample has drawn scrutiny. Approximately 87 percent of respondents identified as Muslim, around 10 percent as Christian, with the remainder belonging to other faiths. This distribution closely mirrors Indonesia’s population, where about 87 percent of the 287 million citizens are Muslim, 11 percent Christian, and the rest adhere to religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

Critics argue that such a majority-heavy sample risks obscuring the lived realities of minority communities. Bagus Sudarmanto, a senior lecturer at the University of Indonesia and a journalist, warned that the results are “highly subjective and do not reflect the true reality.”

“The majority group dominates the sample, and this has the potential to obscure the experiences of minorities,” Sudarmanto said, noting that perception-based questions are especially vulnerable to social bias, particularly in face-to-face interviews. He added that the survey’s findings have not been tested against concrete cases of discrimination and instead reflect “a subjective sense of security.”

Concerns about religious freedom in Indonesia are not new. A 2025 report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom described conditions in the country as poor, citing legal restrictions that affect groups such as Protestants, Catholics, Ahmadiyyah Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Baha’is. The report also highlighted the impact of a new Criminal Code, which took effect in 2026 and broadened the definition of blasphemy.

Religious minorities continue to face challenges in building places of worship, with local authorities often denying permits. Such structural barriers, critics say, contradict the overwhelmingly positive perception captured in the survey.

Aan Anshori, coordinator of the East Java Anti-Discrimination Islamic Network, emphasized that even the small percentage of respondents reporting limited freedom represents a significant population. “The 1.6 percent figure is quite significant because it represents approximately 3.5 million minority populations,” he said.

Other analysts see the survey as reflecting a divide between majority perception and minority experience. Mohammad Mahpur, a lecturer at Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University in Malang, said the findings reveal a sense of security among the majority that is not shared by minorities.

“If the survey is biased, then the narrative needs to be reversed, because the problem is more related to discrimination,” Mahpur said. He argued that many religious conflicts in Indonesia are structural and require stronger regulatory frameworks. “Social harmony between religious adherents must be supported by strong regulations,” he added, noting that policy development on tolerance has stalled at the bureaucratic level.

Data from the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace indicates that violations of religious freedom declined slightly, with 221 reported cases in 2025 compared to 260 in 2024. However, the report also identified discriminatory and intolerant regulations as key drivers of these violations, particularly those targeting minority groups and restricting their religious practices.

Indonesia’s score of 3.7 out of 10 on the Pew Research Center’s government restrictions index further underscores ongoing concerns about religious freedom.

The survey was conducted shortly after the implementation of the new Criminal Code, which authorities claim will enhance protections for minorities. Yet observers remain cautious about such assurances.

Sudarmanto stressed that meaningful progress requires more than perception. “We need real-life implementation in the everyday lives of the nation and the state,” he said, warning that without addressing structural inequalities, optimistic survey results may offer a misleading picture of religious freedom in Indonesia.

• Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News

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