A recent survey reveals preferences of Southeast Asians regarding living, working, and traveling within the region. The findings add to the understanding of the region's 'soft power', highlighting its attractiveness beyond common media portrayals.

Mass media commonly portrays Southeast Asia as an exciting, adventure-fuelled and culturally rich region – if often an exoticised one – for inhabitants and visitors alike. The final section of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey, based on respondents’ “relocation preference and travel choices”, adds to the already abundant evidence of the “soft power” of regional countries. Soft power, a term coined by American political scientist Joseph Nye in 1990, is widely...