Abstract
This paper explores the effect of social media use and political efficacy (internal and external efficacy) on voting decisions among new voters. The favored hypothesis states that increased social media usage and political efficacy help shape voting decisions among new voters. The decision to lowering the voting age to 18 years by the parliament has cast doubt on political efficacy that leading to voting decisions among new voters. Social Media has proven to be a catalyst for social change in Malaysia since the 2004 election. Since the importance of social media use and political efficacy as a source of a healthy democracy, this study examines the effect of social media usage and political efficacy dimensions such as internal political efficacy and external political efficacy to voting decisions among new voters. A survey was used for data gathering among 384 school students and Higher Education Institution students in Melaka. The data analyzed descriptively and inferentially using SPSS and SEM AMOS to provide an empirical understanding of social media use and political efficacy contribution towards the decision to vote. This study presents the significant effect of social media use and political efficacy from internal and external political efficacy to voting decisions among new voters. Surprisingly, educated young people claimed from the previous study have little interest in politically engaging in social media.
Highlights
Exposure to political, social media web most often employed a higher level of political engagement (Neil, 2010), and a survey among young Belgian found that increasing time spent being online can lead to a growth in political interest and political participation among young people (Ellen & Sara, 2008)
A study conducted in social network and political content found that social networks do not drive active political participation among young people even though there are exposed to political content, but a request for political participation remains passive (Gustafsson, 2012) a survey among England young voters that there is a weak relationship between Internet news and political participation but a positive relationship with political knowledge
This study was conducted to analyse the impact of social media use, internal political efficacy and external political efficacy toward the decision to vote among new young voters
Summary
Social media web most often employed a higher level of political engagement (Neil, 2010), and a survey among young Belgian found that increasing time spent being online can lead to a growth in political interest and political participation among young people (Ellen & Sara, 2008). According to Gerber, Alan, Dean & Daniel (2007), who conducted a cross-sectional survey on 15 countries to examine expressive engagement, political knowledge, and young voter turnout reported newspaper readership found a positive relationship between political knowledge and political participation. A survey conducted on political Facebook and political knowledge slightly correlate with many media scholars where participation with the online political group is strongly correlated with offline political participation. Many scholars report that daily newspapers have a greater impact and positive relationship with political participation among young people
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