2021 SURVEY REPORT Survey Report SECTION I Contents The State of Southeast Asia: About the Survey 2021 Survey Report is published by the ASEAN Studies Centre Survey Highlights at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and available electronically at Section I www.iseas.edu.sg 4 Respondents' Profile If you have any comments or enquiries about the survey, please Section II email us at
[email protected] 7 Regional Outlook and COVID-19 Published on 10 February 2021 Section III ISSN 27375110 14 Issues of Concern to ASEAN Section IV REPORT COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY 20 Regional Influence and Leadership Sharon Seah Section V Hoang Thi Ha 32 ASEAN in the Middle Melinda Martinus Pham Thi Phuong Thao Section VI The authors of the report are 42 Perceptions of Trust researchers at the ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Section VII Institute. 53 Soft Power We thank Qiu Jiahui, Farah Nadine Seth and Anuthida Saelaow Qian ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian for their invaluable assistance. Studies) is an autonomous organisation established in 1968. It is a regional centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security, and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Institute’s research programmes are grouped The report can be cited as: under Regional Economic Studies (RES), Regional Social and Cultural Seah, S. et al., The State of Studies (RSCS) and Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS). The Southeast Asia: 2021 (Singapore: Institute is also home to the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC), the Temasek ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, History Research Centre (THRC) and the Singapore APEC Study Centre.