The State of Southeast Asia 2023 Survey conducted by the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute reveals that Southeast Asia’s top preoccupations are with recessionary pressures, potential military tensions, and a ‘slow and ineffective’ ASEAN. China continues to be regarded as the most influential economic and political power in the region and the US has sharpened its edge over China in the event of a forced choice while Japan remains its most trusted major power.

 

The State of Southeast Asia survey, now in its fifth edition, continues to assess Southeast Asians' opinions and impressions of regional geopolitical trends, significant global issues, and how ASEAN's dialogue partners interacted with the area in the previous year. The purpose of the poll is to provide a glimpse of the opinions that are currently prevalent among persons who can inform or influence policy. The poll does not intend to offer a comprehensive analysis of the problems in the area. The poll this year was carried out over an eight-week period from 14 November 2022 to 6 January 2023. Seven languages were available for the survey: English, Bahasa Indonesia, Burma, Khmer, Lao, Thai, and Vietnamese.