The effect of political songs on choice of candidate, political ideology, and party loyalty among young Nigerians

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using political songs as a campaign strategy during the election period in Nigeria has exceeded other campaign activities like posters, jingles, and debates. However, there is a need for more information about how listening to political songs affects youths’ behaviour during elections. Like the past elections, political songs played a role during Nigeria's March 2023 general elections. Politicians seek the help of musicians to distribute campaign messages through songs or to compress long speeches and political manifestos into songs so that the message could reach a wider audience. The study employed a grounded theory approach to analyse interviews with young Nigerians aged 18–29 on the influence of listening to political songs on their choice of candidates, political ideology, and party loyalty. The findings indicate that listening to political songs influences the choice of candidates, political ideology, and party loyalty, especially among those with weak political affiliations.