Music in Elections and Youth Participation in Politics: A Study on the Students of University of Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Music as a tool for campaign or mobilization is not a new thing in the public sphere, it has been used by propagandists, especially for political parties to create awareness and as a platform for enhancing political communication. This research seeks to examine the impact of music on the participation of the youths in politics in Nigeria. It employed the theoretical construct of music as capital to explain how music confers special status on music artistes and the capacity of music to influence young voters. Using the research instrument of closed ended Likert Scale Questionnaires for the gathering of data for analysis, and the cross tabulation and chi-square, the research found that music during elections is a good way to disseminate political information and increase youth-targeted awareness. The research concludes that music when used during elections plays the role of political communication and information dissemination if directed at the politically conscious group of spectators and gladiators. Finally, the research recommends that political music should not be restricted to election periods alone, and should do more of sensitization about the benefit of participation in politics rather than being used for the traditional role of endorsement of political parties and party candidates. And if properly utilized in the right direction, music will improve the voting behavior of the youths with positive impact on the overall political culture. Keywords: Music, Politics, Campaign, Elections, Political Participation, The Youths DOI: 10.7176/DCS/13-2-02 Publication date: February 28 th 2023