Growing Piety among Malaysian Youth Should be Taken with a Pinch of Salt

A recent survey of six Southeast Asian countries conducted by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute shows that Malaysian undergraduates value the importance of religious piety in their political elite — more than students from any other country. For politicians eyeing the next general election, this should provide much food for thought. While they may try to leverage the wave of piety among Malaysian youth, bread-and-butter issues matter.

The finding in the Youth and Civic Engagement in Southeast Asia: A Survey of Undergraduates in Six Countries 2024 provides a good forward-looking picture of young Malaysian voters’ expectations of their political leaders, particularly in the realm of Islamism. In total, 3,081 undergraduates from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam participated in the survey. Among the participants, 506 are from Malaysian campuses in major public universities such as Malaya University, National University of Malaysia, Malaysia International Islamic University Malaya, Science University of Malaysia, Mara Technological University, universities in East Malaysia and private universities.

Of the total number of Malaysian respondents, 47.2 per cent are male and 52.8 per cent female. Those studying science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subjects account for 54.4 per cent of the respondents, while the rest study the arts, humanities, social science, law, economics, and business. The respondents are between 18 and 24 years old, which means they are eligible voters. In 2019, Malaysia passed the UNDI 18 (Vote at 18) law, lowering the voting age from 22 to 18.

The survey, conducted between August and October 2024, covers issues such as youth social media engagement and optimism towards their governments. The top three issues of greatest concern to them were “unemployment and recession” (89.3 per cent), “corruption” (85.5 per cent), and “widening socioeconomic gap and rising income disparity” (84.8 per cent).

When Piety Matters

Figure 1: The Religion of a Political Candidate or Government Leader is Important to Me

Malaysian students rank the religiosity of political candidates highest (Figure 1) — 75.9 per cent said the religion of a political candidate or government leader is important to them (in Indonesia, the corresponding figure is lower, at 67.9 per cent). The polls cover not only Muslim students but people of other faiths as well, although the majority of the respondents are Malay/Muslims. Only 57.5 per cent of respondents say government and political leaders of a different religion can adequately represent them, even though the country has had more than 60 years of independence and nation-building that emphasises multiculturalism. 

When asked how important religion or spiritual belief is in their lives, 93.9 per cent of Malaysian respondents said it is very important or quite important. Of the six countries, only Indonesians polled higher than Malaysia (by 1.4 per cent). The findings are consistent with many surveys conducted on Malaysian youth such as the National Youth Survey 2024 by Merdeka Centre. From the survey, one can surmise that Malaysian youth place a strong emphasis on religious learning and transmission through personalities. This could explain why popular preachers thrive in the country without any organisational and institutional backing.

Since the 2022 general election, there has been talk that Malaysia is experiencing a Green Wave, meaning it is becoming more conservatively Islamic. The conservative Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) gained control of four states in Peninsular Malaysia: Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, and Perlis. They repeated this impressive showing in the state elections the following year by achieving landslide victories in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah.

The impact of the role of religion, particularly Islam, in Malaysian politics is five decades in the making since the so-called Islamic resurgence movement of the 1970s.

Turning back the tide of Islamisation would be a challenge for Malaysian elites as Islam has become an established norm, especially in Peninsular (or West) Malaysia. While it is true that Muslims in Sarawak and Sabah live within more multicultural societies compared to their counterparts in the West Malaysian states, East Malaysian politicians would normally remain neutral to the development of conservative Islam in the West Malaysian states, unless it affects them, such as the use of the term “Allah” (God in Islam) in Bibles.

Conservative Islam will remain a key feature for Malaysia’s future graduates. Politicians who wish to engage them must consider the psyche of present undergraduates and those currently in high school.

…Malaysian youth are not apathetic towards other pressing matters beyond religion.

However, Malaysian youth are not apathetic towards other pressing matters beyond religion. The top three issues highlighted — unemployment and recession, corruption, and widening socio-economic gaps — underscore the importance of bread-and-butter issues. For example, on 25 January 2025, about 200 undergraduates protested in front of the Sogo shopping complex, calling for the government to tackle corruption.

Malaysian politicians will continue riding on religious issues for political gains. Nevertheless, the survey findings provide a stern reminder to politicians seeking to put on a semblance of piety or interspersing speeches with Quranic verses alone would not suffice. The current multicultural coalition government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim uses Islamic terminology liberally. Similarly, the Perikatan Nasional outwardly champions Malay/Muslim unity. But they should avoid relying solely on identity politics to canvass for votes. Youth are equally worried, if not more anxious, about jobs, family, education, and housing. If not addressed, graduate unemployment and persistent skills mismatches could further lead to emigration to countries offering better opportunities.

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