A Study of Some Psychological Dimensions of Voting Behaviour with Special Reference to Bangladesh

Abstract

The study focused on some psychological dimensions of voting behavior as replated to Political-Apolitical group composition, sex and urban-rural residential background in the socio-political context of Bangladesh. Several theore­tical approaches such as psychoanalytic theory, socio­political attitudinal approach, political participation model of voting behaviour and political socialization para­digm in voting behaviour were utilized. The study was conducted in the real life of social setting in Bangladesh in order to show empirically the functional relationships existing among various. Dimensions of voting behaviour. Socio-political attitude, authoritarianism and locus of Internal-External control were also studied for understanding the mode of political involvement and political activism relating with the voting behaviour of the people. Thus, the broad objective of the study was to explore the patterns of voting of political and apolitical students in Bangladesh as related to partisan attitude, party identification, leadership image, election campaign, issue orientation, socio-political attitudinal preference, personality factors and demographic variables. More spe­cifically the objectives of the study were as follows: 1. To study pattern of voting behaviour as a func­tion of political activities in terms of partisan attitude, party identification, leadership image, election campaign and issue orientation. 2. To study patterns of similarities and differences in voting behaviour as related to socio-political attitudes. 3. To reflect on political and ·apolitical orientation of the students as related to voting behaviour. 4. To study male-female differences in voting behaviour in Bangladeshi socio-political context. 5. To study similarity and differences in voting behaviour as related to authoritarian and non-authoritarian personality of the voters. 6. To study patterns of voting behaviour as func­tion of locus of control in internally and externally con­trolled individuals. 7. To study the differences in voting behaviour as related to urban-rural residential background. The measures used in this study were as follows: 1. Voting Attitude Scale (VAS) 2. Conservatism-Radicalism Scale (C-R) 3. Internal-External control scale (I-E) 4. Authoritarian Scale. The study used student sample. A total of 320 Ss equally divided into Political and Apolitical groups were used. Each group was again equally sub-divided into Male and Female. Each Male and Female category was again sub­divided into Urban and Rural according to their residen­tial background. Thus a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design involv­ing 2 levels of group composition (Political/Apolitical), 2 levels of sex (Male/Female) and 2 levels of Residential Background (Urban/Rural) were used. Analysis of results was computed in two parts. In the first part a factorial ANOVA using 2 x 2 x 2 design was used on the ����ores of Voting Attitude Scale and con­servatism-radicalism scale. In the second part, t-test was computed on the scores of authoritarian scales and Internal External control scale. The study made three specific hypo­theses. These were as follows: Political group of Ss would have significantly higher scores on the voting attitude scale as compared to apolitical groups in Bangladesh. 2. Ss with urban background would obtain higher scores on voting attitude scale in comparison to the Ss with rural background in Bangladesh. 3. Male Ss would exhibit significantly more voting attitudes than the female Ss in the context of Bangladesh. The findings of the results strongly supported the predictions. It showed that regardless of sex and residen­tial background, political Ss expressed significantly more favorable voting attitudes as compared to apolitical Ss. Again, male Ss irrespective of group composition and residential background showed significantly higher preference for voting attitudes in comparisons to female Ss. Also, Ss with urban background expressed significantly more attitudi­nal preference towards voting than rural Ss regardless of group can position and sex. Furthermore, the results revealed that regardless of sex and residential background, Apolitical Ss expressed significantly more conservative attitudes than political Ss. Again, Female Ss were found significantly more conservative attitude than Male Ss. Also, rural Ss were found significantly more conservative than urban Ss. Lastly, it was found that in political groups, Urban Male and Rural Male Ss were more internally controlled followed by Urban female and Rural female Ss. For apolitical groups male Ss were more internally controlled followed by rural male, urban female and rural female Ss. In authoritarian dimension urban female Ss of political group were more authoritarian than urban male, rural male and rural female Ss. Again, urban female Ss of apolitical group were more authoritarian than urban male, male, rural male and rural female Ss. Again, urban female Ss of apolitical group were more authoritarian than urban male, Ural male and rural female Ss In conclusion the findings of the present study re­ veiled with considerable clarity that a phenomenon as complex as voting behavior is intimately embedded in the matrix of socio-contextual factors such as social, political and econo­mic history of the people and nation.