The press and citizenship education: Media reportage of political endorsements and electorate behaviour in Nigeria’s 2019 presidential election

Abstract

Background: Political endorsement remains one of the global strategies that features visibly during electioneering campaigns. Such endorsements are usually communicated to the electorate through the media.

Objective: The aim of this study was to ascertain the impact of media reports on endorsement of political candidates during the 2019 election on voter behaviour.

Methodology: This study adopted a combination  of content analysis and correlational survey to  examine  media reportage of political endorsements and the correlation between exposure to such political endorsements  and voting behaviour. 

Results: It was found that significant relationship exists between source of political endorsement and prominence the media accord to such endorsements. As predicted, political endorsement from socio-cultural  and religious groups significantly correlates voting behaviour but political endorsements from celebrities did not correlate voting behaviour.

Contribution: The study has offered fresh perspectives that could aid future debates on issues related to citizenship education during political seasons.

Conclusion: The study concludes  that group identity plays an important role in determining the effectiveness of media endorsement of political candidates.

Key recommendation: Other scholars should pay attention to issues like candidates’  perceived credibility, party identification and voter berhaviour.

Keywords: campaign, political endorsements, media report, voting behaviour