“What are they up to?”: The pre-election mindset and behavior of young Filipino voters

• Main Authors: Collado, Zaldy C., Orozco, Noella May I.G., Banaria, Dionimar B.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2020
• Subjects: Voting > Philippines—Psychological aspects; Youth—Philippines > Psychology; Voting age > Philippines; Political campaigns > Philippines; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/410
• Institution: De La Salle University

© 2019 RESTORATIVE JUSTICE FOR ALL. The article examines the young Filipino voters’ pre-election mindsets, and behavior during the campaign period in the Philippines. The study involved young voters at 17 to 25 age bracket. The respondent students (n=1018) came from different higher institutions in the greater Manila region. Data gathering was conducted two months prior to the May 2019 elections. Among others, results reveal that young Filipino voters are likely to show their support to their preferred candidates among their peers and families than in online communities. It further reveals their desire to increase the quality of campaign activities in the country and their preference to candidates who can communicate their platforms and plans for the country through public discussions and debates. While it appears, based on the results, that young voters actively seek political information on the records or history of aspiring public officials, the results also highlight their high voting independence from the recommendations of their families and religious groups. The young voters’ “elastic” voting commitment also is a positive indication of their ability to intelligently discern in the election process. The government must encourage the young’s participation in these democratic practices in the manner that makes an intelligently informed choice possible.