Operationalisation of the Floating Voters Hypothesis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Authors

  • Hassan Shah Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan | Institute of Social Anthropology, Georg August University, Gottingen, Germany.
  • Ashfaq U. Rehman Department of Political Science, Women University Swabi, Swabi, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4789-4104
  • Wajid Mehmood Department of Political Science, FATA University, FR Kohat, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/3.1.5

Keywords:

Vote, Voter, Floating Voter, Voting Behaviour, General Elections, Decision to Vote, Local Government Elections, Political Awareness, Performance of Political Parties

Abstract

Vote bank of almost all the political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is fluctuating in every general election. It is believed that a significant ratio of floating voters exists in KP. These voters play a significant role as key deciders in every general election. But the basic question is "who are the floating voters and how do they influence the outcomes of the general elections in KP? This study is an attempt to test the floating voters’ hypothesis in KP. For testing this hypothesis, a four variable scale that includes, decision to vote; political awareness; satisfaction from the performance of the political party and interest in political and/or party affairs is used. Data collection is done through a closed-ended survey questionnaire and a multi-stage sampling technique is used for this purpose. Data is collected from three geographical regions of KP i.e., North, Centre, and South. The study population is total voters of KP, and a representative sample of 1200 respondents is determined through a statistical formula. Chi-Square test is used for the correlations of independent and dependent variables. The analysis of data confirmed the "floating voters’ hypothesis" and identified a significant ratio of floating voters in the KP.

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Published

2019-06-30

How to Cite

Shah, H., Rehman, A. U., & Mehmood, W. (2019). Operationalisation of the Floating Voters Hypothesis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 3(1), 43–60. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/3.1.5

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles

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