Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's approval rating has fallen to 51.1% in July 2026, according to a new poll, with growing concern over the country's economic situation emerging as the main driver of declining public support.
According to a survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), Prabowo's approval rating has fallen sharply from 81.2% in November 2025 and 66.4% in a poll conducted between late February and early March.
SMRC Executive Director Deni Irvani said public concern over worsening economic conditions was the biggest factor behind the decline in satisfaction with the president's performance.
"Public perceptions of a deteriorating national economy were the main factor behind the decline in satisfaction with his performance," Irvani said during a livestreamed press conference.
Nearly half of those surveyed, or 49.4%, described Indonesia's economic conditions as "bad" or "very bad". Only 15.7% said the economy was performing well, compared with 40% who held a positive view in November.
Irvani said the findings reflected concerns raised by some economists that official economic growth figures do not always match people's day-to-day experience of financial wellbeing.
The survey also found that dissatisfaction with the political situation and law enforcement had contributed to Prabowo's declining popularity.
According to the poll, 42.8% of respondents rated Prabowo's handling of political issues as "bad" or "very bad", a sharp increase from 23% in November.
Meanwhile, approval of his handling of political affairs fell to 13.5%, down from 35.8% previously.
Public sentiment towards law enforcement was also negative, with 37.6% of respondents describing the situation as "bad" or "very bad".
The survey gathered responses from 749 people between 5 and 19 July and has an estimated margin of error of 3.7%.
Prabowo took office in October 2024 after winning a landslide general election victory. During his campaign, he pledged to tackle corruption and expand economic opportunities by increasing annual GDP growth from around 5% to 8%.
However, his administration has faced mounting challenges this year, including a weakening currency, poor stock market performance, concerns over government spending and questions about the independence of the central bank.
One of Prabowo's flagship election pledges was a nationwide free-meals programme, launched in January 2025.
The initiative has encountered several setbacks since its introduction, and its budget has been reduced twice.
Despite those cuts, Indonesia's budget deficit is still expected to rise to 2.85% of GDP this year, placing further pressure on the government as it seeks to sustain economic growth and maintain public support.
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