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05 March 2007
Jakarta
Following the recent Jakarta floods, The Nielsen Company conducted a survey examining the level of their impact on people in Jakarta and their subsequent concerns. Accordingly, two thirds of Jakartans interviewed claimed to be directly affected by the floods.
Catherine Eddy, Executive Director and head of the Social Research Unit of The Nielsen Company in Indonesia reported that 81 percent of A class households claimed to have been affected, more than that of the BC or D SES groups .
The Nielsen telephone survey was conducted from February 13 to 20, two weeks after the downpours that almost drowned the city, interviewing 311 respondents, representing over eight million Jakartans.
How were people affected?
16 percent of participants in the survey said their homes were badly damaged by the floods and were subsequently facing a host of problems, including difficulties in getting to work or school (77%), reaching home (68%) and getting to shops or markets for necessities (60%).
In addition, many households were found to be cut off from utilities supplies like electricity (52%), telephone lines (46%), and clean water (46%). “The floods brought with them considerable inconvenience to the local residents. For a city much reliant on motorcycles for transport, a fifth also claimed their motorcycles had been badly damaged”, Ms. Eddy added.
Will anyone take action, and move?
Despite the major damage and inconvenience caused, more than half those interviewed had no plans to move and 29 percent remained undecided. Only one in 10 said they were extremely or somewhat likely to move neighborhoods. The level of intent to move also varied across different areas of the city. Ms. Eddy continues, “This may be because the floods were viewed as a freak occurrence not that likely to be repeated and besides, it’s not an easy decision to move away from somewhere you have lived for a while.”
Concerns for the community: health
The survey found most people were well aware of the potential fallout from flooding in terms of disease and the potential health threat to the community. When asked about their concerns for the community as a result of the recent floods (as opposed to concern for their own well-being), the great majority (82%) were concerned about the potential for widespread health problems, particularly in relation to diseases like the dengue fever, colds and flu, Avian flu, diarrhea, skin diseases and other ailments. 11 percent also worried about medical support and the availability of medication and access to clinics. “The dengue fever is top of mind in the wet season and the past few weeks have seen significant numbers of dengue fever cases across Indonesia,” said Ms. Eddy. “Apparently, the floods and their impact have heightened people’s awareness of various diseases and their concerns for health and hygiene.”
Concerns for the community: impact on prices
Another concern close to the heart of Indonesians was the availability of staple items like rice, sugar and cooking oil etc. and potential hikes in prices as a result of the floods. 48 percent of people surveyed said they noted a shortage in the supply of staple items in the days following the floods and 64 percent were worried that the prices of staples would increase. “This is a potentially dangerous scenario,” commented Eddy, “because such an expectation could lead to panic buying and over stocking in anticipation of a price increase to guard against potential shortages in supplies of food and water.”
“Besides panic buying, many distributors had difficulty in getting their products to the market due to blockages or damage to transport and inaccessibility to some areas, which resulted in delays in replenishments”.
Concerns for the community: utilities
The potential for continued or further utility failure also concerned residents in the days following the floods in the city. The lack of a clean and reliable water supply (41%), electricity (19%) and communications (10%) were all cited as causes for concern in terms of their potential impact on the broader community.
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek) and trade shows. The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA.
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