Local Politics in International Media
Influence of international newspaper endorsements of candidates on political opinion and voting behaviour of women in Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Women constitute a large percentage of the voting public in Nigeria. Despite this, research on their political opinion and voting behaviour is limited.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of international media candidates’ endorsement on women in Nigeria.
Methodology: The researchers made use of survey research design and sampled 600 women voters in a developing democracy. The researchers used the questionnaire to collect data for the study and applied both descriptive and inferential statistics to analyse data for the study.
Result: Findings showed significant relationship between exposure to international media political endorsement and political opinion of women regarding candidates’ political ideology. Also, a significant relationship was found between decision status of women and influence of international media candidates’ endorsement on voting behaviour.
Contribution: This study has provided empirical evidence regarding the contributing role of international media in local politics.
Conclusion: It is concluded that international media endorsement of candidates during national elections influences local voters.
Key recommendation: Further studies are recommended to be conducted in more advanced democracies like United States of America, for better comparison
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