This study investigates socioeconomic, cultural, demographic and programmatic factors influencing contraceptive choice in Indonesia using the 1987 National Indonesia Contraceptive Prevalence Survey (NICPS) and 1991 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data. The study shows a consistency of factors affecting current method used across the two surveys using Bulatao's conceptual scheme (1989). These factors are the number of living children, fertility intentions, age at survey, duration of marriage, education, current work status, religion, the province and place of residence, whether a programme implementer visits in the six months before the survey; whether a woman has regular access to the mass media and her husband 's occupation. Higher number of living children and not wanting any more children are related to a greater choice of long-term methods and less choice of short-term; and traditional methods-results compatible with a greater need for limiting childbirth rather than spacing. Religiousness is identified with greater preference for short-ten-n methods as these methods can be used by the users themselves without having to see a male doctor. Access is related to preference for long-term methods. The preference in the rural areas for long- term methods in fact is higher than in the urban areas, resulting from the strong promotion and provision of these methods there.
