CHANGING THE TREND OF VOTERS APATHY THROUGH POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
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CHANGING THE TREND OF VOTERS APATHY THROUGH POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
ABSTRACT: CHANGING THE TREND OF VOTERS’ APATHY THROUGH POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
This study focuses on changing the tendency of voter indifference through political communication. The study’s overall population consists of 200 selected residents from the Ikorodu local government in Lagos state.
The researcher employed questionnaires to collect data. The descriptive survey research design was used for this investigation. The survey used 133 respondents, including civil servants, youth, politicians, and married males. T
he acquired data was organised into tables and analysed using simple percentages and frequencies.
Chapter One: Changing Voter Attitudes Through Political Communication Introduction
Background of the study.
The right to vote is regarded as a fundamental component of democratic democracy. However, voting turnout has been declining over the last half-century. This concerns our politicians because it weakens the legitimacy of the current government and serves as an indirect indicator of cynicism and unbelief in democracy as a political concept.
It is consequently concerning that there is simultaneously global evidence of political indifference, a lack of psychological participation in public affairs, emotional detachment from civic duty, and abstention from political activity. Understandably, there is continual worry about the sources and nature of political abstention.
Voter apathy, a subset of political apathy, has emerged as a major issue in mature and emerging democracies, settled and volatile societies, large and thriving economies, as well as small and troubled ones, among youth, women, and other marginalised groups, as well as mainstream dominant interests.
Several factors influencing voter indifference have been identified in relevant literature. Some of these include broad psychological elements and communal memory of past and present occurrences.
Others include patterns of trust, sentiments of efficacy, political participation, and disengagement at the individual, group, and regional levels.
While empirical data suggests that voter attendance is declining globally, there has been a lack of focused and consistent scholarly attention to voter apathy in the context of voter turnout in Nigeria.
Political communication is an interactive process that involves the exchange of information between politicians, the news media, and the general public. The process moves downward from governing institutions to citizens, horizontally between political players, and upward from public opinion to authorities.
The way politicians distribute information influences voters’ decisions about whether or not to vote. Politicians have the problem of engaging and communicating effectively with an increasingly disengaged population. Ironically, this difficulty comes in an age of fast technological advancement, which allows individuals to collect and share more knowledge and data than ever before in what some refer to as a “new public information space.”
This issue is especially important for the younger generation, who are not only a crucial demographic for voter indifference, but also ‘information doers’ who use ‘go anywhere’ technology in a consistent and real-time manner.
As a result, if politicians want their electorate to engage in the political process and improve voter turnout, they must update their methods of understanding, connecting, and communicating with their constituents.
Politicians that continue to employ tired and one-dimensional terms like ‘go out and vote’ are already out of touch and behind the times with their constituents. This difficulty was excellently defined by the Chair of the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee,
who stated that “urgent action is required to make elections more accessible to the public and to convince people that voting is worthwhile regardless of who they vote for.” Against this backdrop, the researcher wishes to examine altering the tendency of voter apathy through political communication.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
If politicians want their electorate to participate in the political process and improve voter turnout, they must update their models for understanding, connecting, and communicating with their constituents.
The manner they transmit political information is also important to voters. Politicians that continue to employ tired and one-dimensional terms like ‘go out and vote’ are already out of touch and behind the times with their constituents.
It is a big worry, so the researcher wishes to analyse the trajectory of voter indifference through political communication.
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The study’s aims are:
To determine the relationship between voter indifference and political communication.
To assess the influence of political communication on voters.
To determine the impact of political communication on voter turnout during election day.
Research Hypotheses
To ensure the study’s success, the researcher developed the following research hypotheses:
H0: No association exists between voter indifference and political communication.
H1. There is a link between voter apathy and political communication.
H02: Political communication has no impact on voters.
H2: Political communication has an impact on voters.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study will provide additional insight into how political communication might change the trend of voter apathy. The study will benefit students, politicians, and the general public.
The study will focus on how to communicate politically for a higher voter participation on Election Day. The work will also act as a reference for future scholars who may engage on this topic.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
The study focuses on altering the tendency of voter indifference through political communication. The researcher faces various constraints that limit the scope of the investigation;
a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The researcher has insufficient research material, which limits the investigation.
b) TIME: The study’s time frame does not allow for broader coverage because the researcher must balance other academic activities and examinations with the study.
c) Organisational privacy: Limited access to the chosen auditing firm makes it impossible to obtain all necessary and required information about the activities.
Definition of Terms
VOTER APATHY: In politics, voter apathy refers to the apparent disinterest of voters during an election. Voter apathy or lack of interest is frequently mentioned as a reason for low turnout among eligible voters in countries where voting is optional, as well as the donkey vote where voting is mandatory.
POLITICAL COMMUNICATION: Political communication is a discipline of communication and political science that studies how information circulates and impacts politicians and policymakers, the media, and citizens.
1.8 Organisation of the Study
This research study is organised into five chapters for simple understanding, as follows:
The first chapter is concerned with the introduction, which includes the (overview of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms, and the study’s historical context.
The second chapter focuses on the theoretical framework that underpins the study, as well as a review of relevant literature. Chapter three discusses the research design and technique used in the study.
Chapter four focuses on data gathering, analysis, and presenting of findings. Chapter five presents the study’s summary, conclusion, and recommendations.
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