Factors Related to Voting Intention in the 2011 Election among Thais

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the factors related to the intent to vote in Thailand. The dataset was taken from a national survey on pre-election public opinion towards candidates for the 2011 House of Representatives election, with a sample of size 1,500 responses collected jointly by the National Statistical Office and King Prajadhipok Institute. Binary logistic regression analysis reveals that: (a) perceived family economic status negatively relates to intent to vote, and (b) past election participation, interest in the upcoming election, and expectation of the election outcome positively relate to intent to vote. Hence, election campaigns to encourage voting should aim to elevate interest in the upcoming elections and political interest in general. Political parties and politicians need to make voters trust that they will win the election, so that voters will vote for them. Future research could focus on digital media usage behavior, which could be used to raise interest in elections and politics in general.