August 22, 2025 | 11:45 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Social Survey (ISS) research agency released its latest findings on public satisfaction with government performance on Thursday, August 21, 2025, with the free nutritious meal program (MBG) emerging as one of the key benchmarks.
The MBG program, run by the National Nutrition Body, is one of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiatives. It targets children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, with the government aiming to reach 82.9 million recipients by the end of 2025.
The survey, conducted from July 11–20, involved 2,200 respondents across Indonesia using a multi-stage random sampling method. It carried a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of error of 2.5 percent.
When asked about the program’s role in easing household expenses, 26 percent of respondents said MBG was not helpful at all. ISS Executive Director Whinda Yustisia explained that most recipients felt the program did little to reduce household spending since it did not eliminate other daily costs.
Meanwhile, 20 percent of respondents said the program was helpful, particularly in providing nutritional intake for children in school, which some families saw as reducing their food burden.
The survey also assessed perceptions of food quality provided through the program. Eight percent of respondents rated the meals as poor, while 44 percent considered them fairly good.
“The public believes the program will have a greater impact if implemented consistently, if food quality is maintained, and if it is linked with broader family economic policies,” Whinda said in the statement on Friday, August 22.
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