ASSESSMENT OF POLITICAL ADVERTISING AND THE VOTING BEHAVIOR OF NIGERIANS (A CASE STUDY OF 2007 GENERAL ELECTION)

ABSTRACT

 

Before now, Nigerian and of course Nigerian have embattled with several transition programmes, and all along the populace exhibited a high sense of political awareness and consciousness.

This no doubt can be attributed to the creditable nature of the numerous media in the country through political advertisement. Just like every advertisement, political advertisement is aimed at capturing the attention of the audience and consequently changing their voting decision owing to the fact that we are yet to attain a substantial level of political sophisticated where a voter will meticulously and critically analyze every political information coming from the mass media which will in turn aid them in the scrutiny of each of the political party and their candidates.

Also politicians and political parties have sincerely handled employed various other means of advertising their candidates, all to facilitate voting at the polls. However, the creditability of some of these means is still in doubt.

Matured and proper political advertising is the only way by which the candidates can gain acceptance and respect voters. It is for this reason that this research study intends to highlight the immense benefit of political advertising.

CHAPTER ONE

 

• Background of The Study

Advertising is a form of communication (written or oral) that attempts to sell something weather it takes the form of Newspaper, magazine, radio, television, internet etc.

On the other hand, advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers, or listeners) to purchase a particular goods or services. It is also a paid communication overtly intended to inform and influence one or more people.

Political advertising is the act of paying a broadcasting or electronic medium by a political party in order to purchase advertising time.

The media ensure sustainable election campaign by rightly disseminating vital political awareness through which they motivate voters to go to election polls and effect their leaders.

Politicians have used broadcast and print media to disseminate their messages since 1950, this is because they recognize the role the media play in shaping and forming the opinion of the voters. The media have traditionally been viewed as channels through which political advertising is placed in order to reach as main people as possible.

In 1952, Eisenhower was the first American presidential candidate to use television to transmit his political message forever changing the nature of political advertising. In 1960, the television debate between Kennedy and Nixon was supplemented by advertising that were more about style than substance.

Nixon’s serious advertising which featured him hovering over a desk and speaking directly to camera, was a few cry from Kennedy’s bubble jungle like advertising.

However, as the 2011 election of Nigerian gubernatorial, senatorial and presidential seats draw near, a lot of political advertising posters and jungles troop into print and broadcasting media. Every candidate want to be heard of by the vote for them when the time comes. Some go as advertising campaigns, disclosing their manifestos ie. what they will do when voted into power.

The media uses the agenda setting power to shape the opinion of voters, convincing them to vote for a particular candidate. The accepting whatever the media disseminates because they believe that whatever they see or hear from the media is truth.

Since the revolutionary study of 1940 on voting by Paul Lazards and his associates, when analyzing the 1940 election campaigns in the United States of America in the choice of the people, they discovered that personal contact appears to have effect in influencing voting decisions. As a result of this, political researchers have focuses mostly on predicting voting outcomes with little attention of political advertising on the people of Nigeria. It is therefore crucial not only to declinate the importance of political advertisement but it’s effect on the voting behavior or Nigerians.

In 1963, Richard Nixon writes that campaign contributes to the dense and rise of politicians Dan Dimmo after noting that high expenses that accompany political campaigns, remarked that politicians are willing to spend extravagant sums of money because they strongly believe that electoral campaign can make or mar political careers, parties, progreammes etc.

In the same vain, Nigerian Chis Doghuje said, in a paper presentation titled, political advertising and non-though, which was presented at a seminar organized by Advertising Practitioners Council Of Nigeria (APCON) on November 27th – 29th 1991 that “Politicians should depend on advertisers to package them”.

• Statement of The Problem

During election periods, a lot of advertisements are carried out on television, radio, billboard, pamphlets etc. to inform and advise voters to go to poll and vote candidates of their choice. What impact does these advertisements have on the voters? Do they react positively to them by coming out on election days to vote candidates of their choice? If they don’t why? Does it means they don’t really get the messages appropriately or have they other means of being politically alerted.

 

• Objective of The Study

• To know the impact of political advertising on Nigerian voters
• To know the mass media that influences voters most
• To know how voters react to political advertising
• To enlighten the masses on how to analyse political information.

 

 

 

 

• Significance of The Study

This study will help in finding out the effect of political advertising.

It will also help in knowing the media of communication that influences the voters most.

It will aid politicians to appreciate the effect of political advertising.

It will educate the masses on how to analyse political information at their disposal.

 

• Research Questions

This project provides answers to the following research questions

• Through which medium do voters usually get their information from?
• What is the influence of these various media, used in disseminating political advertising?
• Will the voters continue to rely on political advertisement as their means of getting political information?
• Will the politicians continue to use political advertisement as their means of campaign

 

• Research Hypothesis

H₁:    Political advertisement influences the voting behavior of the voters in Nigeria

H₀:    Political advertising does not influence the voting bevhaiour of the voters in Nigeria

H₂:    The basic aim of political advertising messages are geared towards influencing voters.

H₀:    The basic aim of political advertising messages are not geared towards influencing voters

H₃:    The majority of voters also tend to believe that political influence they get from non media sources like parents, clubs, social organization and churches.

H₀:    The majority of voters don’t tend to believe the political influence they get from non media sources like parents, clubs, social organization and churches.

 

 

• Theoretical Framework

AGENDA SETTING THEORY

This theory was first developed by Prof Maxwell McCombs and Prof Donald Shaw in their Chapel Hill Study (1968). The theory talks about how mass media sets the agenda fro public opinion, by highlighting certain issues. In studying the was political campaigns were covered in the media, Shaw and McCombs found that the main effect of the news media was to set an agenda, ie. to tell people not what to think, but what to think about as opposed to persuasion or attitude change.

During political advertising, the mass media can influence voters opinion by setting an agenda on public discourse.

The agenda setting theory also said that the news media present the public not with picture of the world as it is but with an agenda of their own-a selecting of reports about what is happening in the world.

According to Mark Eze, “an audience member will adjust his or her perception of the importance of issues in the direction corresponding to the amount of attraction devoted to those issues in the medium used”. In order words, the public’s agenda will come to match the media agenda.

In political advertising, the media set the agenda through the use of jingles, political platforms which the candidates for election and their supporters will necessarily feature in. In these jingles, the media use catchy words and alluring languages that will make the audience to thin about, for instance, the current advert of Goodluck Jonathan that is being aired on hourly and daily basis have made people to think that his name “GOODLUCK” is associated with everything good. This is because the jingles portray Jonathan as a good man, who will bring goodluck and good things to Nigeria.

The media is this aspect has set an agenda in place for people to think about and make better decisions.

 

• Definition of Terms

CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

ASSESSMENT:   This simply means evaluation or estimation of something or idea.

POLITICAL:        Relating to government or public affairs of a country.

ADVERTISING:   The act of publicizing a product in order to promote sales or attendance.

POPULACE:       All the ordinary people of a particular country or idea.

BEHAVIOUR:     The way in which something behaves or respond to a situation or stimulus.

 

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

ASSESSMENT:   To examine something or idea

POLITICAL:        Conduct of government affairs.

ADVERTISING:   This is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor.

POPULACE:       This refers to the general public

BEHAVIOUR:     This has to do with ones attitude or reaction to a situation.

 

• Scope of The Study

This study covers the use of mass media like the radio, magazines, television and other non media sources in disseminating political information.

This study is carried out in some perspective town in three sectional zones of Nigeria.

 

• Limitation of The Study

I embarked on this study with a burning desire to produce an authentic result oriented project.

In pursuit of this noble idea, I encountered some problems

The nature of the study requires the administration of questionnaire which places a lot of financial burden on me.

In the distribution of the questionnaire, there are also difficulties I encountered.

For the fact the project is sensitive, the respondents are hesitant and reluctant to answer the questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

 

1. Asante M & Fyre J. (1979) Contemporary Public Communication, Washington DC; Suminact Publication.
2. Datz (1999) Social Research on Broadcasting: Proposal for Further Development; an International Quarterly vol. 6. Pg. 108.
3. Onwudiegwu C. (1991) Political Advertising Matters Arising; Lagos Nigeria: Times Publishing Company Ltd. Pg. 8.
4. Peltason, Cronin & Magleby (2000) (Peltason et al 2000) Government by the People (National Version) New Jersy: Rentice-Hall Inc.
5. Sammuel Merill, III & Benard Grofman (2005) A Unified Theory of Party Computation; New York: Free Press.
6. Stephen and Shato Iyengar 91997) Going Negative: How Political Advertising Shrink and Polarize the Electorate, New York: Free Press.
7. Ugokwe C. (1991) General Vs NPN Warlords; Lagos Vanguard Publishing Company Ltd. Pg. 7 Retrieved From pointblanknews.com.

Download our android mobile app for more materials

ORDER NOW

COMPLETE MATERIAL  COST  N2,500 Or $10.  FRESH  PROJECT MATERIAL  COST 50,000 NAIRA FOR UNDERGRADUATE, OTHERS 100,000 -200,000 NAIRA.

THE NATURE AND CONSEQUENCES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF ENUGU NORTH LGA, ENUGU STATE

Foreign Transaction For Dollars Payment :
Bank Name: GTBank
Branch Location: Enugu State,Nigeria.
Account Name: Chi E-Concept Int’l
 Account Number:  0117780667. 
Swift Code: GTBINGLA 
Dollar conversion rate for Naira is 175 per dollar. 

ATM CARD:  YOU CAN ALSO MAKE PAYMENT USING YOUR ATM CARD OR ONLINE TRANSFER. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR BANK SECURITY FOR GUIDE ON HOW TO TRANSFER MONEY TO OTHER BANKS USING YOUR ATM CARD. ATM CARD OR ONLINE BANK TRANSFER IS FASTER FOR QUICK DELIVERY TO YOUR EMAIL . OUR MARKETER WILL RESPOND TO YOU ANY TIME OF THE DAY. WE SUPPORT CBN CASHLESS SOCIETY. 

OR
PAY ONLINE USING YOUR ATM CARD. IT IS SECURED AND RELIABLE.

form>DELIVERY PERIOD FOR BANK PAYMENT IS  LESS THAN 24 HOURS

CALL OUR  CUSTOMERS CARE  OKEKE CHIDI C ON :  08074466939,08063386834.

AFTER PAYMENT SEND YOUR PAYMENT DETAILS TO

08074466939 or 08063386834, YOUR PROJECT TITLE  YOU WANT US TO SEND TO YOU, AMOUNT PAID, DEPOSITOR NAME, UR EMAIL ADDRESS,PAYMENT DATE. YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR MATERIAL IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS ONCE WILL CONFIRM YOUR PAYMENT.

WE HAVE SECURITY IN OUR BUSINESS.   

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE