How did The Government Convince Indonesians to Have Smaller Families?

Abstract

In Indonesia, the national family planning program that started in the 1970s has been championed as the success of fertility decline, from around six births per woman back then, which dropped to near replacement level in the 2020s. The Indonesia family planning program utilises community involvement that focuses on direct face-to-face communication, using tens of thousands of family planning field workers while massively promoting family planning using mass media. This study investigates how mass media exposure and interpersonal communication affect contraceptives in Indonesia, examining data from the 1976 World Fertility Survey, the 1987 National Contraceptive Prevalence Survey, and The Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey from 1991 to 2017. Other Indonesian survey data relevant to the study were also used to support the data. In examining the effect of communication, several socio-demographic covariates were controlled for this study: age group, education level, partner's education, literacy, and whether the respondents lived in an urban or rural setting. The study also controls fertility variables of child parity, age at first marriage, and wanting more children. This study examines mass media exposure and interpersonal communication. Evidence from the study has shown that the effect of communication is significant in influencing the use of contraceptives, although the effect is diminishing. The study also shows evidence of the effect of communication on age at first marriage. The findings of this study contribute significantly to understanding how communication has impacted Indonesia's remarkable fertility decline. The study of family planning history in Indonesia has witnessed a generational change in women's societal roles, education development, and healthcare improvement. Show more