Do Indonesians rationally or irrationally vote? Evidence from the 2014 Indonesian general election

Abstract

This study investigated the determinants of voters’ trust level regarding official candidates at presidential, legislative, and governor levels in the 2014 general election in Indonesia. Data from the 2014 National Socioeconomic Survey was utilized in this study. The data was analyzed using two-stage regression analysis. The first stage regression analyzed the determinants of individual trust in official candidates, while the second stage analyzed probabilities of individuals to vote. This study found that voters’ experiences in vote buying reduced their trust in official candidates in the 2014 election. The second-stage regression results indicated that voters’ experiences in disasters reduced their intention to vote at all.