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Politics and social media: an analysis of factors anteceding voting intention

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of social media on voting intentions. We conduct a survey with 559 Brazilian voters. To estimate the results, we use the structural equation modeling technique, with the partial least squares (PLS). The results suggest that the voting intention can be negatively influenced by the image of political parties and positively by the voter opinion, voter trust and candidate’s image. The results also suggest that social media positively affect voter opinion, voter trust, candidate’s image and political party image. These findings help to better understand voter behavior, especially when there is the use of social media in the political electoral context, especially in Brazil.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/Brazil), project 304209/2018-0, by Foundation for Research Support of Espírito Santo (FAPES/Brazil), projects 84513772 (599/2018) and 85395650 (228/2019), by Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT/Portugal) through NECE (Núcleo de Estudos em Ciências Empresariais), project UID/GES/04630/2020, and by IFTS (Instituto Fucape de Tecnologias Sociais), project 2021-2024.

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  1. Fucape Business School, Vitória, Brazil

    Marcelo de-Oliveira, Claudio Marcio de Almeida & Emerson Wagner Mainardes

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APPENDIX: CONSTRUCTS AND VARIABLES.

APPENDIX: CONSTRUCTS AND VARIABLES.

Constructs

 

Variables

Voting Intention (IV)

(Rodgers, 2003)

VI1

In the forthcoming elections, I am likely to vote for the best candidates.

VI2

In the forthcoming elections, I would like more information about the candidates.

VI3

I am interested in meeting the candidates for political office.

Voter Opinion (VO)

(Sengupta & Johar, 2002)

VO1

In the forthcoming elections, I think the candidates I choose will be very good.

VO2

In the forthcoming elections, I think that the candidates I choose will be very useful for society.

VO3

My opinion on political candidates is very favorable.

Voter Trust (VT)

(O’Cass, 2002)

VT1

I am confident that I will choose the right candidates or parties.

VT2

I am confident in my ability to make a good decision on whom to vote for.

VT3

I am confident in my ability to decide whom to vote for.

Candidate’s Image (CI)

(Sanders & Pace, 1977)

CI1

I choose the candidate who seems to be most qualified.

CI2

I choose the candidate who seems to be most sophisticated.

CI3

I choose the candidate who seems to be most honest.

CI4

I choose the candidate who seems to be most sincere.

CI5

I choose the candidate who seems to be most successful.

CI6

I choose the candidate who seems to be most truthful.

CI7

I choose the candidate who seems to be most attractive.

CI8

I choose the candidate who seems to be most calm.

CI9

I choose the candidate who seems to be most educated.

CI10

I choose the candidate who seems to be stronger at giving speeches

CI11

I choose the candidate who seems to be most active.

CI12

I choose the candidate who seems to be most friendly.

Party’s Image (IP)

(Bart et al., 2005)

PI1

I trust the political parties.

PI2

Political parties convey credibility.

PI3

Political parties inspire trust.

Social Media (SM)

(Gangadharbatla & Valafar, 2017)

SM1

Social media facilitates my relationship with political candidates.

SM2

I would use social media to follow political candidates.

SM3

I am satisfied with the information obtained from social media about candidates running for office.

SM4

I feel comfortable to browse social media and find information on candidates running for office.

SM5

I feel that browsing social media is a good way to get information on candidates running for office.

SM6

With regard to political candidates, social media is a better source for information than traditional media (Newspaper, television, radio).

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de-Oliveira, M., de Almeida, C.M. & Mainardes, E.W. Politics and social media: an analysis of factors anteceding voting intention. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark 19, 309–332 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-021-00301-7

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