Information Exposure through Social Media and Political Involvement of Gen Y regarding the Bangkok Govenor Election 2022

Abstract

        The objectives of this research were 1) to study exposure to news and information through social media and the political participation in the Bangkok gubernatorial election of GenerationY; 2) to compare Gen Y’s demographic factors with their levels of information exposure through social media and with their levels of participation in the Bangkok gubernatorial election.This was survey research. The sample population was 400 people born between 1981 and 2000 who were registered to vote in Bangkok, chosen through multi-stage sampling. The data collection tool was a questionnaire. Data were statistically analyzed using frequency, percentage , mean, standard deviation, ANOVA. The results showed that 1) Generation Y in Bangkok were exposed to political news and information about the Bangkok gubernatorial election to a high level . They were exposed to information via Facebook the most . On average , most of them reported reading/watching news 15-30 minutes at a time. The information that they were exposed to the most was information about how to utilize one’s right to vote. The majority of survey

respondents reported that they had a high level of participation in the Bangkok gubernatorial election. 2) Gen Y individuals with different educational levels had different levels of exposure to political news about the electoral race for Bangkok governor via social media. Gen Y respondents with educational level of bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or higher had higher levels of exposure than those with educational level of secondary school or lower. The respondents with different educational levels, occupations and income ranges had different levels of participation in the electoral race for Bangkok governor via social media. The respondents with educational level of bachelor ’s degree , master’s degree or higher had higher levels of political participation than respondents with educational level of secondary school or lower. As for the factor of occupation, respondents whose occupation was student, government or state enterprise employee, private sector employee or “other” had higher levels of participation in the gubernatorial election than respondents who were independently employed. For income range, individuals who reported monthly income in the ranges of under 15,000 baht, 15,001- 25,000 baht, or 35,001- 45,000 baht had higher levels of political participation than individuals who reported monthly income of 45,001 baht and over.