Does public opinion count? Knowledge and support for an ASEAN Community in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore

Scholars have remarked that the decision-making process in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is largely elitist in nature and concentrated within the higher echelon of leadership, with little public participation. Since ASEAN is moving toward community building by the year 2015, questions arise on whether the people are consulted, aware, and support this initiative – which is the focus of this article. The authors argue that increased awareness and knowledge of the public regarding the ASEAN Community initiative will eventually translate into increased support. Against this background, this article analyzes the extent the public in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are aware of and International Relations of the Asia-Pacific Vol. 13 No. 3 © The author [2013]. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the Japan Association of International Relations; all rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com International Relations of the Asia-Pacific Volume 13 (2013) 399–423 doi:10.1093/irap/lct008