Information consumption and decision making of irregular migrants in Indonesia. Occasional Paper Series No. 19|2016. Department of Immigration and Border Protection Research Programme.

Abstract

Indonesia is the key site from which irregular maritime arrivals attempt to make onward journeys to Australia. This research aims to provide a deeper and more detailed understanding of the motivations of irregular migrants in Indonesia in order to contribute to the evidence base that can help inform policy and operational deliberations.The research had two key aims: first, to analyse the patterns of information consumption of Iranian and Afghan irregular migrants in five sites in Indonesia, which inform their decisions about onward journeys; and second, to map common stories or ‘narratives of mobility’ that recur and are told in the multiple movements that irregular migrants undertake in order to reach a final destination.Fieldwork was conducted in two phases: July-August 2014 (Pilot Phase) and November-December 2014 (Phase Two). It should be noted that by the time the fieldwork was undertaken, the Australian policy settings had changed, effectively closing off any opportunities for boat departures from Indonesia. The fieldwork involved a mixed-method approach. One hundred and forty semi-structured oral history interviews were conducted with Iranian (n58) and Afghan (n81) irregular migrants in transit in Indonesia (including 30 per cent female respondents) across five key sites including Jakarta (Kalideres and Serpong), Pekanbaru (Sumatra), Denpasar (Bali), Cisarua (Java), and Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara). Following the semi-structured interviews, the 140 interviewees completed a survey questionnaire to provide demographic and supplementary information.