Satisfaction with the government as a mediator in relationship between online news gratification and election voting choices
Media plays an important role in shaping a country’s democracy by feeding the public with relevant and purposeful information. Usage of media is crucial for the public before they could make decisions about the political landscape of the country by voting. In recent years, online news sites have...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/84668/1/FBMK%202019%2030%20-%20ir.pdf |
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| Summary: | Media plays an important role in shaping a country’s democracy by feeding the
public with relevant and purposeful information. Usage of media is crucial for the
public before they could make decisions about the political landscape of the
country by voting. In recent years, online news sites have played a key role in
influencing vote choice, the hallmark of democracy. Likewise, the emergence of
online news is recognized for its importance in shaping the political discourse in
Malaysia. However, previous studies on online news have not dealt with the
relationship between online news gratifications and vote choice. Studies on
online news are scarce and research on the impact of online news gratification on
vote choice in Malaysia is inconclusive. Therefore, the general objective of this
study is to investigate the relationship between online news gratifications in
determining vote choice. Specifically, this research aims to understand the motive
for using online news and the gratification sought and obtained from it in
influencing vote choice. The study is guided by the combination of Uses and
Gratification and Rational Choice theory. Using the quantitative approach, the
study was carried out by engaging a total of 700 respondents who were
registered voters living in Klang Valley. Apart from using purposive sampling,
snowball sampling was also employed to select respondents from different races.
The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS for descriptive statistic and Structural
Equation Modelling (SEM) using SmartPLS for modelling. The finding revealed
that online news plays a vital role in shaping the opinion of citizens which is
translated through vote choice. In addition, the study also indicated that the
motive to use online news and the gratification obtained are significant in
determining vote choice. However, gratification sought was found to be
insignificant in determining vote choice. Meanwhile, satisfaction with the
government were also found as an important indicator that determines the
relationship between online news gratification and vote choice. This study
provides crucial practical implications that can benefit the media industry. In terms of policy implication, government can capitalize on the effectiveness of the
online medium to reach the public and rationalize major policy decisions. This
study also contributes to theory development by adding the element of
satisfaction with government as a mediating construct in the theoretical
framework. In terms of methodological implication, this study contributes to the
literature by expanding the usage of PLS-SEM analysis in social science,
generally and mass communication field, specifically. |
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