Influence of Print and Electronic Media on Youth Voting Behaviour in Pakistan

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effect of newspaper and news channels on voting decision/ behaviour of educated youth in Pakistan during the 2018 general elections. It is a quantitative study based on a questionnaire survey. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 381 master students enrolled at the faculty of commerce, arts and humanities, science, behavioural and social sciences, and education. Significant positive interaction has been found between newspapers, news channels, and educated youth’ voting behaviour. Along with creating awareness media has become the opinion leader. Results indicate an increase in the rational behaviour of youth but still, their decisions have been shaped by the structural conditions. This study establishes pertinence in micro-macro factors within the context of voting behaviour. Micro factors include individual cognitive ability while macro factors include big structures. It demonstrates that cognitive ability has largely been shaped by socio–political structures and these structures were created by political actors using mediums such as newspapers and news channels. Findings also revealed a change in voting trends of youth. This area of research is not new in the field of psephology, however the uniqueness of this study is that it will assists youth of developing countries to obliterate false consciousness and structural constraints on their cognitive ability. Further, it will alleviate into conscious, informed, and rational decisions. In Pakistan field of psephology is ignored, formerly attention has been paid to study elections in terms of civil-military relationship and the use of election as a means to control state machinery. There is no such study conducted in a local context.