This Reality Check Approach (RCA) study was commissioned by The World Bank and carried out in November to December 2017. The RCA findings in this report are supported by big data analysis from Pulse Lab Jakarta (PLJ). The objective of this study was to provide people-centred insights to feed into the World Bank’s Poverty and Social Development Global Practices current analytical project to help the Government of Indonesia better understand the process of urbanization in Indonesia, particularly through learning more about rural to urban migration in the country.

Some of the key findings from the study include:

• Many who have been living in urban areas for more than 20 years often still do not consider themselves local and still feel strong ties with their ‘origin’ village;

• There is an increasing need for ready cash;

• Social interaction is seen to be very important for people living in the city which they value over actual living conditions;

• Difficult living situation such as dealing with crime of drug problems tend be to dealt ‘from within’ as people trust their community leaders more than the police;

• Migrants are often valued by the local community as they are seen to bring new services and open access to goods previously unavailable.