Youth Imagination About Being an Indonesian

Abstract

The way young people perceive their country is crucial in explaining their national behavior. However, there has been little systematic research on this topic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the national identity of late adolescent Indonesians. Because this study sought to understand the various perspectives of adolescents regarding their country, a qualitative approach was used. An open questionnaire distributed via online social media was used to collect data. This study had 385 participants who voluntarily participated (72 men and 313 women). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. According to the findings of this study, for Indonesian youth, being an Indonesian meant feeling as part of a nation that is united in diversity, possessing abundant and magnificent natural resources, as well as acknowledging and supporting the Indonesian state. There were also those who saw citizenship as fate and inheritance. Being an Indonesian also entailed loving, contributing, tolerating one another, remaining united, and being willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the Indonesian nation. Adolescents in Indonesia were happy, proud, and grateful, but also ashamed, sad, and disappointed to be an Indonesian. These findings provide new insights into the construction of late Indonesian adolescents' national identities that differ from the state version of the formal identity.