Voter Behaviour amongst Kenyan Youths in relation to Party Primaries and General Elections: A Focus on Students at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology during the 2017 Election Cycle

Phabian Makokha

doi:10.7176/ppar/11-4-09

Abstract

This research study was conducted in 2017 at the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology situated in Kakamega County, Kenya. It was motivated by the desire to gain insights into the political attitudes, inclinations and perceptions of Kenyan youths towards voting in party primaries and general elections. The study site was purposively selected. The Fisher’s formula of determining sample size was used to arrive at 338 respondents who were picked through the simple random sampling procedure. Observation, structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and focus group discussions were deployed. The exploratory research design was utilized given that it was a fact-finding endeavour. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis with the aid of SPSS. It was revealed that 52% of respondents had taken part in the 2017 party primaries, 47% did not, while 1% failed to respond. A majority of respondents (88%) indicated they would participate in the 2017 general elections. Most respondents (91%) had registered to take part in the election exercise. On the importance of voting in elections, an overwhelming majority of 97% argued in favour of participation, 2% against, while 1% failed to give a clear response. The study concluded that despite electoral hurdles most youths in Kenya faced, they still recognized the importance of expressing their democratic preferences during party primaries and general elections. Key Words: Voter Behaviour, Kenyan Youths, Party Primaries, General Elections DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/11-4-09 Publication date: May 31 st 2021

Highlights

Resnick and Casale (2011) observed that the youth had long represented a key constituency for electoral mobilization in Africa, and that nowadays as the continent faces a fast-growing youth population increase that is disproportionately burdened by unemployment and underemployment, capturing the votes of this demographic is becoming more vital than ever before
It is for this reason that the study seeks to gain insights into the political attitudes, inclinations and perceptions of youths in relation to their involvement in party primaries and general elections in order to improve on existing policies
Makori (2015), in a study aimed at establishing youth perception of and participation in electoral democracy in Kenya, postulated that youth mentality stood out as one of the greatest barriers to effective www.iiste.org political participation given that the attitudes they bore were birthed at the family level and continued to build up as they got exposed to the same negative mentality by different social actors

Summary

Introduction

Resnick and Casale (2011) observed that the youth had long represented a key constituency for electoral mobilization in Africa, and that nowadays as the continent faces a fast-growing youth population increase that is disproportionately burdened by unemployment and underemployment, capturing the votes of this demographic is becoming more vital than ever before. Despite their numerical significance and the historical relevance of generational identities within the continent, quite little is in the public domain in regards to the political participation of Africa’s youth. A multiplicity of factors influences the voter behaviour of individuals. Makori (2015), in a study aimed at establishing youth perception of and participation in electoral democracy in Kenya, postulated that youth mentality stood out as one of the greatest barriers to effective www.iiste.org political participation given that the attitudes they bore were birthed at the family level and continued to build up as they got exposed to the same negative mentality by different social actors

Methods

Results

Conclusion