Kevin and Jeff talk with Harvard academic and pollster Seth Soderborg about the art and science of taking the temperature of the Indonesian electorate. It's a tough and expensive process. Use phones or online surveys and you risk missing huge chunks of the population with no regular access to the Internet. And respondents don't tend to like to express a definitive opinions, opting if possible for a middle-of-the-road answer.

Still, answer they do -- at length -- meaning that if you have the resources and time reputable opinion surveys can turn out surprisingly accurate data. As the country ramps up for the 2024 presidential contest survey respondents are expressing caution toward likely conservative candidates including Prabowo Subianto and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and increasing interest in Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo. A lot can happen between now and February 2024. One example? A similar time period ahead of the 2014 presidential elections found Joko Widodo only just preparing for his inauguration as Jakarta governor. The bottom line? Ganjar, Anies and Prabowo are likely contenders. But there is still a long way to go. Enjoy the show!

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