Factors Affecting the Decision Making in the Election of the House of Representatives in Phuket Province: A Case Study of the Election on May 14, 2023

Abstract

Factors Affecting Voters' Decision-Making in the Member of Parliament Election in Phuket Province on May 14, 2023 This quantitative research collected data from eligible voters in three electoral districts of Phuket Province during the May 14, 2023 Member of Parliament election, with a sample size of 625 participants. The research objectives were to study: 1) voting behavior of Phuket residents, 2) factors influencing their voting decisions, and 3) comparison of mean scores of decision-making factors across demographic characteristics.

The findings revealed that regarding information consumption behavior, the majority of Phuket voters (57.44%) obtained election-related information primarily through online media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The three most influential factors affecting voters' decisions at the highest level were. Candidates' policies, Candidates' qualifications and characteristics. Candidates' election campaigns Other factors that showed high influence included. Political party/group affiliation Influential persons. Relationship with candidates Family and kinship ties. The comparison of mean scores across demographic characteristics showed that gender did not affect voting decisions. However, age groups, education levels, and occupations affect voting decisions at 0.05 significant level.