Title |
Factors Affecting Youth Voting Preferences in the Philippine Senatorial Election: A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) Analysis |
Authors |
Batara, Enrique; Labadan, Ace Kristoffer and Roa, Marozel |
Publication date |
2021/11 |
Journal |
Journal of Government and Politics (Jurnal Studi Pemerintahan) |
Volume |
12 |
Issue |
No. 3 |
Pages |
242-264 |
Publisher |
Department of Government Affairs and Administration, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta |
Abstract |
The Philippine elections had been characterized by the presence of a weak party system, a
low information environment for voters, a history of dynastic rule, and the preponderance of
media celebrities in elected political offices. These features amounted to the observation that
candidate winnability in the country is discussed often as a “personality versus platform’’ issue,
highlighting the importance of candidates’ personal background. This study examines certain
variables associated with the voting preferences of young educated voters for the 2019
Senatorial Elections. Using a quantitative approach, this inquiry specifically sought to
analyze the extent to which party identification, issue orientation, candidate orientation, and
pre-election surveys affect voters’ preferences for candidates. Survey data were obtained from
the 210 purposively sampled youth-voters, and were analyzed using structural equation
modelling. On the whole, the results of the study indicate the positive association between
the respondents’ party identification on voting preferences, as well as the positive
association between pre-election surveys and the respondents’ voting preferences. Both
issue orientation and candidate orientation do not appear as significant independent
variables The outcome of the study has departed from the prevailing Philippine electoral trend
where candidate personality-centered factors have been pivotal for explaining Filipino voting
preferences. |
Index terms / Keywords |
voting preferences, party identification, issue orientation, candidate orientation, pre-election surveys, voting behavior |
DOI |
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