Subscribers’ questionnaire
We have had an enthusiastic but limited response to our readers’ survey (sent with issue No 85). Thank you to everyone who returned their form. Here are the preliminary results. We encourage those who haven’t filled out the survey to do so. The deadline is now 1 June 2006.
Your first interest in Indonesia?
Replies included (in order of popularity): travel; study at university or school; general interest in a neighbouring country; previous work in Indonesia; Dutch connections; activism; Indonesian born.
Favourite themes
The top ratings for themes (two came in equal places) were: 1. Eastern Indonesia; 2. Aceh; Islamic law; 3. youth culture; environment.
Future themes?
Readers suggested a wide range of themes. The most popular future themes (ranked in descending order of preference, with some in equal place) were: 1. regions and ethnicity (including Papua); 2. politics; culture; 3. Australia-Indonesia relations; 4. economics; aid/develop­ment; 5. education; religion; NGOs; 6. women/gender; government and governance.
Most popular articles?
The most popular were: articles on Aceh; from ‘Bali and beyond’; ‘Comic heyday!’ (No 83); articles on Eastern Indonesia (see for example No 82); articles about Papua; article on SurfAid Inter­national, ‘Anti-malarials meet the anti-Christ’ (No 85); ‘Singing for life in West Papua’ (No 78); ‘The year that never ended’ (No 79); articles from the youth culture issue (No 85); articles from the Islamic law issue (No 79); articles from ‘Peace: The legacy of Herb Feith’ issue (No 70) and ‘Kampung Kamal’ (No 84); ‘Lost daughters’ (No 85).
Future articles?
Some of the articles suggested were: changes to the Indonesian army; Australia-Indonesia relations; traditional food and customs; weaving; unemployment; environment; stories about expatriates engaged in grassroots work; the impact of heroes, such as Diponegoro and Kartini, on modern Indonesia; overseas writers about Indonesian foreign policy (eg a Papua New Guinean on border politics); interviews with high-profile Indonesians; diving for lobster; regional languages and adaptations of Indonesian; an Indonesia-based columnist from a particular region; articles about less well-known regions, such as Riau.
Regular features
The top three regular features (in order) were: short news, books and letters.
Book reviews per issue
The majority of subscribers were interested in three reviews per issue.
Your favourite graphics
The photos from the Aceh issue were mentioned; cartoons; as were the front covers of issues 77 to 85; the back cover advertisement.
Indonesian language supplement
Slightly more than half of respondents used the supplement. Most used it for improving their own language ability although a few used the supplement in language teaching.
Inside Indonesia electronically?
A clear majority did not want to receive their II electronically. Only five would be happy to receive their subscription as a pdf file.

The form is available from the Inside Indonesia office (admin@insideindonesia.org). The question­naire should soon be on our website (www.insideindonesia.org).