A Study of the Factors that Influence Voting Intentions and Political Participation on Social Media among Malaysian Chinese Youth

Chee, Jing Xuan (2023) A Study of the Factors that Influence Voting Intentions and Political Participation on Social Media among Malaysian Chinese Youth. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

On July 16, 2019, Malaysian parliament adopted a legal change that will reduce the voting age from 21 to 18. Despite Malaysian youths not making up a large portion of the electorate, the 15th General Election saw a significant shift in their political opinions and voting preferences digitally. On the other hand, Malaysia's ethnic Chinese voters are anticipated to turn out in large numbers to cast their votes in the general election on 19 November 2023, hoping for a restoration of the multiracial administration that was ousted by a political coup two years ago. This research study will apply quantitative methods to investigate the factors that influence vote intentions and political participation on social media among Malaysian Chinese youth. The results can help political leaders and voters from Malaysian Chinese youths engage in politics more effectively, which can be used as a political tactic in subsequent elections. Two key research problems motivate this study. Firstly, there exists a divergence in research findings concerning the potential impact of social media on the voting intentions of Malaysian youths. Secondly, while political parties within major alliances acknowledge the influence of social media and the millennial vote, it remains uncertain whether they effectively reach and engage these voters. Therefore, there are 3 research questions in this research study. RQ1: What are the social media platforms used by Malaysian Chinese youths for political participation? RQ2: What are the factors that influence the attitude on Malaysian Chinese Youth's perception of political information? RQ3: What is the relationship between youths’ attitude, participation and political behavior? The first objective of this research study is to identify the social media platforms used by Malaysian Chinese youth. Secondly, to investigate the factors that influence the attitude on Malaysian Chinese Youth's voting intention. Thirdly, to determine the relationship between political participation and the voting intention among Malaysian Chinese Youths. 102 Malaysian Chinese youths, ages 18 to 30, participated in the study and provided their own opinions using survey questionnaires. The findings have revealed that the three most popular social media platforms used by Malaysian Chinese youths for political participation are Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Also, there are 5 factors which are issues and policies, emotional feelings, candidate image, current events and media influence have significantly influenced the attitude on Malaysian Chinese youths perception of political information. Subsequently, the survey revealed that Malaysian Chinese youth prefer to use online rather than offline to participate in political participation. Keywords: GE15, Malaysian Chinese youth, voting intention, political participation,social media,younger vote