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Synovate smokes out the facts on tobacco use in Indonesia

18 March 2003

INDONESIA — SYNOVATE, a top ten global research company, today released data confirming that Indonesia is a country of smokers - or rather a country of male smokers.

The January 2003 survey was conducted across Indonesia using AsiaBUS, a monthly global omnibus study. It showed that 60 per cent of the male adult population admits to smoking, compared with only four per cent of the female population.

Robby Susatyo, Managing Director of Synovate in Indonesia, said the data showed that women who do smoke, smoke less than men.

Smoking is quite rare for Indonesian women - and the smokers amongst them puff an average of six sticks per day, while their male counterparts consume an average of nine sticks per day.

"One possible reason for the frequency and prevalence amongst men is the perception of smoking as a macho activity," Mr Susatyo said.

The study also found that smoking cuts across age and social boundaries, with Indonesians (or rather Indonesian men) from all walks of life equally likely to have the habit. However, taste preferences do vary across the country.

Although the kretek is still dominant with 83 per cent of smokers preferring clove cigarettes to white cigarettes (17 per cent), white cigarettes are increasingly popular among female smokers (27 per cent) and in Jakarta (29 per cent).

Mr Susatyo said this data could herald the move from kreteks to white cigarettes.

"What's going on in Jakarta tends to set trends for the trends for the rest of Indonesia to follow. Therefore, we can confidently predict a shift from kreteks to white cigarettes over the coming years.

"It is fair to say that this may take some time though, as the majority of consumers simply do not like the taste of white and menthol cigarettes," he said.

The figures demonstrated that all smokers are aware of the dangers, with 100 per cent stating that they know about Government warnings. However, it seems that they just find it difficult to give up the habit.

Indeed, around two thirds of smokers agree with the statement that 'I am addicted to smoking'. Given these attitudes, it is not surprising that the majority of smokers say that they would like to give up, and in most cases have already tried unsuccessfully.

Mr Susatyo suggested that perhaps there is a role for wives and girlfriends in helping Indonesian men to kick the habit.

"I can speak from personal experience on this one. Not only am I a researcher, I am also a life-long kretek smoker."

"I have recently given up smoking after advice from my doctor, although before now the pleasure of the sweet clove taste has always been much stronger than my willpower to stop," he said.

The data is based on Synovate's AsiaBUS survey, which talks to a representative sample of 1,000 respondents from across Indonesia's four major cities every month of the year.