Attitudes toward Democracy and Politics of First-time Voters
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Abstract
This paper is a study of political attitudes toward democracy and interest in political participation in Thailand’s 2019 general election. It reports results from a survey of first-time voters (sample of 1,061 people between the ages of 18 and 23 years old). It finds that firstly, first-time voters see the Future Forward party as the first choice among the contesting parties in the election and believe the party can represent their political standpoint. Secondly, when it comes to time to vote,party is the basis of decision. Further, they want a leader who sees democratic practices as the way to solve political conflicts. Thirdly, first-time voters have low-level of political knowledge. Fourthly, on the level of political efficacy, first-time voters feel that they are in the middle of the scale - as well as their attitude toward democracy. Lastly, first-time voters have positive views toward political participation. However, there is room for improvement in terms of understanding of substantive democracy.
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