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

Authors

  • Celestina Ongwayozi Audu

Keywords:

campaign, political behaviour, endorsement, voters, 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

 

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Published

2023-02-22

How to Cite

Audu, C. O. . . . (2023). The press and citizenship education: Media reportage of political endorsements and electorate behaviour in Nigeria’s 2019 presidential election . Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies , 5(1), 11–22. Retrieved from https://iannajournalofinterdisciplinarystudies.com/index.php/1/article/view/99