US ENGAGEMENT THEREFORE OR LESSER DURING TRUMP?
In response to the State of Southeast Asia 2025 survey, 2, 023 people were polled, including researchers, business leaders, representatives from the private sector, non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) and government officials from across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, and the Philippines.  ,
The survey, which measures opinions on geopolitical developments and issues affecting the region for the first time in its seven editions, included viewpoints from Timor-Leste, which is in the process of becoming an observer and is awaiting official acceptance into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ). However, Timor-Leste’s responses did not be used to determine the survey’s Asian regular figures.
Between January 3 and February 15, the survey was conducted both online and offline, with only about half of the messages coming out before Trump took office and the rest later. Results were” no obvious differences” between the two times, according to ISEAS.
Four in ten survey respondents ( 40.7 % ) were asked about the extent to which the US’s involvement in Southeast Asia would increase or grow significantly this year.  ,
More than a third ( 38.7 % ) of those who expressed this opinion believed that Trump’s stance on China would aid in maintaining the region’s power balance. Laos ( 45.8 % ), Singapore ( 43.9 % ), and Myanmar ( 43 % ) share this view most strongly.