The study was delimited to the political sophistication and voting behavior of the electorates of Bokod, Benguet during the calendar year 2017-2018. The study focused on the level of awareness and knowledge of the electorate’s and its relationship in terms of political sophistication and the level of voting behavior of the electorate’s in the municipality.
The elections as an important agent in the development of democratic political systems, where political subjects actively participate in the creation of decisions for regulation of social relations and in this manner they gain legitimacy, are one of the central topics of the sociology of politics. Hence, the sociology of politics, in a relatively long period, monitors, observes and analyzes the electoral behavior of voters, which inter alia includes the turnout in the elections and the manner of voting.
Etymologically speaking, Patterson cited that democracy was derived from the Greek words demos meaning people and "kratis" which means to rule. In other words, democracy is an institution of the people, by the people, and for the people. That is why Ayson and Reyes, as cited by Gigawin, argued that the right to govern, within the context of democracy, emanates from the people through election. As a result, election is considered as one of the elements of modern democracies. Thus, the absence of election would definitely make the concept of modern democracy incomplete.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
The Problem
Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Hypothesis of the Study
Importance of the Study
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
Definition of Terms
CHAPTER 2
Design and Methodology
RESEARCH DESIGN
Population and Locale of the Study
Data Gathering Tools
Data Gathering Procedure
Treatment of the Data
CHAPTER 3
Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data
Level of Awareness in terms of Political Sophistication of the Electorate
Level of Knowledge in terms of Political Sophistication of the Electorate
Level of Voting Behavior of the Electorate
Summary of Findings
CHAPTER 4
Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusions
Recommendations
Research Objectives and Themes
This study aims to evaluate the political sophistication of the electorate in Bokod, Benguet, and to analyze how this sophistication correlates with their voting behavior, ultimately seeking to understand the cognitive drivers influencing electoral participation.
- Measurement of political awareness levels among registered voters.
- Assessment of political knowledge regarding governance and electoral systems.
- Correlation analysis between political awareness, knowledge, and voting behavior.
- Evaluation of the influence of media and education on voter sophistication.
Excerpt from the Book
A basic feature of representative democracy
A basic feature of representative democracy is that citizens use elections as a means of controlling elected officials. A critical maintained hypothesis implicit in that idea is that, citizens know enough about politics and public affairs to hold politicians accountable for their behavior in office. If citizens cannot pass even this basic test, then representative government seems an unsure proposition.
In short, understanding how elections function in a democracy rests upon being able to evaluate what citizens know about politics and government. If one wants to be able to address such questions, then there is a need of a high quality measure of citizen’s political knowledge. (Levendusky & Jackman, 2003)
Political Sophistication signifies cognitive complexity of political knowledge of a person, covering size, range and constraint. Size signifies the amount of political knowledge a person has and the number of cognitions that they have on their Political Belief Systems (PBS). Like some people might as well be living on Neptune for all they know about politics; others are walking Washington Posts or New York Times. That means that some are politically updated while some are not. Range is the coverage or complexity of political knowledge a person has. It is the quantity of political information a person holds which is correlated with both how well he or she has organized it and how accurate it tends to be.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER 1: This chapter introduces the research problem, outlines the background, defines key concepts related to political sophistication, and explicitly states the study's research questions and hypothesis.
CHAPTER 2: This chapter details the research design, descriptive methodology, population characteristics, data gathering instruments, and the statistical tools used to analyze the study's findings.
CHAPTER 3: This chapter provides the data presentation and analysis concerning the levels of awareness, knowledge, and voting behavior of the respondents, including interpretations of survey metrics.
CHAPTER 4: This chapter summarizes the research findings and offers formal conclusions and site-specific recommendations to stakeholders like COMELEC and educational institutions.
Keywords
Political Sophistication, Voting Behavior, Electorate, Political Awareness, Political Knowledge, Representative Democracy, Electoral System, Bokod, Public Administration, Voter Participation, Cognitive Complexity, Mass Politics, Democratic Transition, Political Cognition, Voter Accountability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this study?
The study investigates the relationship between the political sophistication (defined as awareness and knowledge) of the electorate in Bokod, Benguet, and their actual voting behavior.
What are the primary themes addressed in this work?
The work examines voter awareness, knowledge regarding political systems, the impact of the automated election process (PCOS machines), and the correlation between cognitive political engagement and voting patterns.
What is the overarching research goal?
The research intends to assess whether citizens possess adequate political understanding to effectively fulfill their roles in a representative democracy through informed voting.
Which scientific methodology does the author employ?
The researcher utilizes a descriptive method, gathering quantitative data through a four-point Likert scale questionnaire administered to 383 registered voters, supplemented by interviews.
What is discussed in the main body of the research?
The main body breaks down indicators of political sophistication—specifically size, range, and constraint—and evaluates how these impact the respondents' capacity to engage with and participate in electoral processes.
Which keywords define this publication?
The study is characterized by terms such as Political Sophistication, Voting Behavior, Electorate, Political Knowledge, and Democratic Participation.
How does the educational level of respondents affect the findings?
The research notes that a high concentration of respondents with tertiary education correlates with better retention of political information; however, it also highlights gaps in understanding specific technical procedures of the automated system.
What unique case study does the author present regarding electoral technology?
The author discusses the introduction of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine in Bokod, noting that while voters are highly knowledgeable about its use, there remains skepticism regarding its full implementation and reliability.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding the "EDSA Revolutions"?
The study reveals a common misunderstanding among respondents, many of whom identify only with the first EDSA revolution during the Marcos regime, illustrating a gap in historical political knowledge.
- Citar trabajo
- Lorie Sama (Autor), 2017, Political Sophistication and Voting Behavior of Electorates of Bokod, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1370452
