AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS ON ‘IS VOTING BEHAVIOUR CONDITIONED BY CULTURAL NORMS IN INDIA’? EXPLORING VOT

Dr.NeenaRani ManipalAcademyofHigherEducation(MAHE–Bengaluru)

ABSTRACT

Indiansocietyistheamalgamationofvariousraces,religion,languageandsoonandhasastrongculturalbackgroundthoughdiversityisevident.Beingasecular country,eachperson,regardlessoftheirreligion,culture,orethnicitytheybelongto,theypossessfreedomtovote.Beingoneofthelargestdemocracyandrankedas thesecondmostpopulatedcountryintheworld,Indiawidelyencouragespoliticalparticipationofthecitizenwhichisapparentinthewayelectionsarecelebratedasan occasion.Indiansvotingbehaviourisinfluencedbytheirwayoflifemajorlytheirculturalattitude,setofbeliefsandvalues.Thispaperfocusesonwhypeopletendto voteandthedeterminantculturalfactorsthatinfluencethevotingbehavior

The study conducted implemented both qualitative and quantitative in nature. Questionnaires were framed in both structured and unstructured manner.The study population comprises of respondents above 18 years of age and who are eligible to vote.The study implementedstratified random sampling technique. Complete responseswerecollectedfrom286respondents.Thestudyindicatedthatthevariablesemployedandanalyzedinthestudywereallinterrelatedandhasanimpacton thevoter'sbehaviour

ThepresentstudyfurtherrevealsthatcultureisawayoflifeadoptedbytheIndiancitizensandallactivitieshaveanimpactoftheculturetheypossess.Hencethevoting behaviourtoohasaculturalimpact.

KEYWORDS:Votingbehaviour,Culturaldeterminants,Elections,IndianCitizens,PoliticalCulture,Sociologicalapproach.

INTRODUCTION:

Votingbehaviourhasacquiredimmensesignificanceduetothecomplexnature exhibitedbythevoter Itisthroughvotingwhichisanimportantpoliticalactivity that all citizens participate especially in a democracy The contentment or discontentment to a particular political party or candidate is revealed during electionsandseveralfactorsareresponsibleinexercisingoftheirvotes.

Whatdoyoumeanbytheactofvoting?

Votingisameansofaggregatingindividualpreferencesintocollectivedecisions 2

Votingbehaviouris theway inwhichpeopletendtovote Votingbehaviouris baseduponfindingtheimportantvariablethatcausepeopletovoteonewayor another

Socioeconomicfactorsinfluencesvotingbehaviour Theemphasisofthesociologicalapproachisonthecorrelationbetweenthevotersandthesocialsettings. Thisapproachexaminesvotingbehaviourinthesocialcontext,andanalysisthe effectoftheinterrelationoftheabovementionedfactorsandtheirvotingbehaviour

Howisitthatcultureinfluencevotingbehaviour?

Individuals exhibits certain pattern of behaviour during political participation, andthishappenswithinthesocietywhichisboundedbyculture.Thisreflectsthe political culture of that region which includes a certain set values, beliefs, and practices.

Elections in India are celebrated as national festival where voters participate enthusiastically Indianvotersnaturallycasttheirfranchisebasedontheirclass, ethnic, linguistic, or religious loyalties which are influenced by their emotive behaviour Partieshavetriedtocapturepopularsentimentbyusingcharismaof their leaders. Popular party slogans such as “India Shining”, Nayi soch, nayi ummeedoptedforthe2014electionsinvokepatriotismtowardscertainparties. PartiespromotecampaignsbyprovidingpromotionalitemssuchasT–shirtsand publicitymaterialincludingstickers,banners,andpamphletstoreachouttothe public and the modern trend of spreading its message through FM radio and “SMSbasedcampaigns.

AsquotedbyDanielPatrickMoynihan'Thecentralconservativetruthisthatitis culture,notpolitics,thatdeterminesthesuccessofasociety Thecentralliberal 3 truthisthatpoliticscanchangeacultureandsaveitfromitself”

As Roy (2009, 2011) notes, individual differences in decision – making have already been stressed by Berelson and colleagues as early as 1954. “ The tendencyindemocraticliteraturetoworkwithanimageofthevoterwasneverjustified”.Butfirstthingsfirst,themainfocusoftheearlystudiesofelectoralbehaviorwasobviouslytodevisegeneralmodelsbeforerefiningthem.Nonetheless,if wethinkofthecross–pressuredcitizensfirstdescribedbyLazarsfeld,Berelson,

andGaudet(1944),whoaretornbetweentwopartiesbytheirsocialpredisposi4 tions,thisisoneofthefirstdescriptionsofvoterheterogeneity

VotingistheperfectarrangementofpoliticalparticipationinanydemocraticsocietyandinIndia,theculturalpatternthecitizensfollowonhowtheychoosetheir representativeandarriveatdecisionismajorsubjecttobediscussedamongsociologistsandatopictobediscussedinpoliticalsociology

1

SociologicalModelofVotingBehaviour: The Sociological Model of Political participation and Voters Choice is well explained in the book 'The People's Choice' by Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, Joseph Klapper, Elihu Katz and William McPhee. The researchers examinedthecitizenschoiceregardingthe1940presidentialelection.Majority ofthevotersseemedtobeinfluencedbytheirsocialenvironmentandinterpersonalrelationships.

It further states that – The sociological approach, characterized in the classic Columbia UniversityVoting Studies (Lazarsfeld, Berelson, and Gaudet 1948), essentiallyarguedthatyouthinkandvotewhoyouare.Thesocialenvironment and the socialization process were seen as the key determinants of public 5opinion

STATEMENTOFTHEPROBLEM:

India is a multi-cultural society, and all activities of the people have a cultural impact.Ourculturalideologyandsocietalinfluencecontinuetoinfluencehow wevote.Hencesocialsystemthatwebelongtohasagreaterimpactonourvoting behaviourbecausesocialencountersandrelationshipsamongindividualsareregulated and guided by the relative cultural norms, values, and beliefs. This is because voting behaviour depends upon several determinants which are intertwined.Toalargeextent,culturalaspectsshadowtherationalthinkingpowerand henceitisveryimportantthatweunderstandthevotingbehaviourofthecitizens inIndia.Theaimofthisresearchistoexploretheimpactofculturaldeterminants onthevotingbehaviourofthecitizensinIndia.Thismatterthereforerequiresa sociological understanding and analysis of the topic to recognize the reality of theproblem.

OBJECTIVESOFTHESTUDY:

Themainobjectiveofthestudyis:

1. ToexaminethebehaviourofthepeopleinIndiawhilecastingtheirvotes.

2. ToidentifythefactorsinfluencingvotingbehaviouramongIndians.

3. Toempiricallytestandmeasuretheimpactofculturaldeterminantsspecificallyonvotingbehaviour

4. To analyse if the preference to a particular candidate or party is culture bound.

LIMITATIONSOFTHESTUDY:

Themainfindingsofthisstudyrelyontheanalysisofthesurveydata,asaresult, thesuccessofthisresearchtoaverylargeextent,wasdependentontherespondent'sopennessandwillingnesstoparticipate.Thewillingnesswasevidentfrom how the respondent quickly provided their response but openness in providing properinformationisaquestiontobeponderedon. Italsoacknowledgesthefact thatalthoughtheselectionofthesamplingpopulationwasconductedrandomly toincludepeopleofdiversedemographicandculturalbackground,therelatively limitedsamplesizeandhencethisresearchneedstobesupplementedwithadditionalresearchtosupportitsfindingsonvotingbehaviorexhibitedbytheIndians.

The study is limited to the responses collected from only the people from Bengaluruintheagegroupfrom18yearsto70yearsonly

RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY:

This study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to gather requiredinformation.Thequalitativedatawasobtainedfromsecondarysources and is mainly descriptive in nature. The quantitative research conducted by administering questionnaire method and responses were collected from registeredvoters.Thequestionnaireadministeredcomprisedofbothopenendedand closeendedquestionswhichprovidedthemlibertytoansweraspertheirperception.

ResearchGap:ThisstudyisdifferentfromtheearlierstudyasitanalysestheculturalandsocialfactorsaffectingindividualsvotingbehaviourwithspecialreferencetoBengalurualsotakingintoconsiderationtheireducationalqualification aswellastheiroccupationalrole.Itdiffersfromtheearlierstudieswithrespectto region chosen to study, time period of study, methodology implemented to explore the relationships between variables taken into consideration, factors affectingvotingbehaviour

ResearchDesign:

Sampling:Randomsamplesweredrawnfromdifferentzoneswhichproduceda sampleof286respondents.

The responses to the questionnaire were collected through mailed and self –administered questionnaires. Around 300 questionnaires were distributed but received only 290. But out of this, 4 questionnaires had some questions unanswered hence had to be rejected. 208 respondents filled in all questions from urban areas and 78 respondents filled in all questions from rural areas in Karnataka.Datawascollectedfromvotersbothruralandurbanareas.

Research Design: A cross-sectional, representative sample of the population overeighteenyearswasselectedusingapartiallypurposivesampleselectionprocedure.

DataCollectionTechniques:

ThemajorinstrumentusedforthisstudywasQuestionnairewhichsoughtinformation about the locality they belong to, demographic, educational, occupational,cultural,andsocialfactorsofrespondents.Thequestionnaireitemsused bothclosed-endedandopen-endedformatstogeneratebothqualitativeandquantitativedataasintended.Itwasadministeredasaface-to-faceinterviewtosome oftherespondents.However,informationfromtheoralinterviewisseenasusefulincorroboratingthedatagatheredfromquestionnaire.Beforeparticipatingin thesurvey,respondentswereinformedaboutthenatureandpurposeofresearch. Maintaininganonymityoftheiridentitywasalsopromised.Datafromquestionnaireswascompiled,sorted,edited,classified,andcodedintoacodingsheetand analysed.

SIGNIFICANCEOFTHESTUDY:

Thisstudyseekstoprovideinsightsintothemostpredominantdeterminantsof votingbehaviourinIndiaandanalysisitwithreferencetovoter'ssocialidentity, influencefromfamilymembers,attitudesdifferingamonggenders,educational qualification&occupation,location,ideology,andemotions. Thestudytriesto identifyhowamulti–culturalcountrylikeIndia,hasitsvotingbehaviourconditionedbyitsculture.Thestudyfromthisresearchwilladdtoexistingknowledge andpavethewayforfutureresearchonthebehaviourpatternexhibitedbythevotersinIndiaduringelections.Thestudywillalsohelpinourunderstandingofthe variousculturaldeterminantsaffectingallactivitiesoftheIndians.

ANALYSISANDRESULTS:

DemographicprofileoftheRespondents:

Thissectiononthedemographicprofileoftherespondentsprovidesdataabout theirage,gender,localitytowhichtheybelongto,respondentseducationalqualification, their Occupational status. Examining each of this will clearly help us relatetotheirfamilystatusandidentifyingthelinkagesbetweeneachvariable.

Age:

Age,isabiologicaltraitthatdeterminesone'ssocialstatus.Itisanessentialfactor in research which determines an individual's attitude and perception to the outerworldwheretheindividualhasaroletoplay

Table01:Ageasavariable

Ageasavariable Respondents Percentage

18-27 58 20% 28-37 124 43% 38-47 73 26% 48–57 21 8% 58-67 10 3%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph1

Thetable1aboveshowsthatthestudycollectedresponsefromtheagegroupof 18to70years.Responsewasreceivedmorefromtheagegroupof28–37with 43%.Therespondentsinthisagegrouparemoreactiveincastingtheirfranchise andvibranttofollowupwiththeelectionprocess.Theagegroupbetween38–47 are also moderately interested in election process and the voting process. The respondentsbetweenagegroupof18–27yearsarecomparativelylessinterested becausesomeoftherespondentsarestudentsandbusywiththeiracademicsand have received their voter ID card recently They are yet to start to take part activelyinelectionprocess. Theresponsereceivedfromtheagegroupbetween 48–57yearsisonly8%aspeopleareengagedwithhomechores,occupational responsibility,andpersonalwork.Therespondentswithagegroupbetween58–67 years was only 3% as they were either unhappy with the changing governments or policies.Their experience and wise opinion depict that the country is movingtowardscorruptionespeciallyduringtheelectionprocessandareadvocatingforafairelectionprocesstobeheld.

Table02:Genderasavariable rd

In 1918, at the 33 session of the Indian National Congress, Sarladevi Chaudhuraniintroducedaresolutioninfavourofgivingwomentherighttovote. MadraswasthefirstlegislatureinBritishIndiatopassaresolutioninfavourof women's suffrage with a sizable majority back in 1921. As a result, women received their first official state recognition as “people” and were granted the sameconditionsforvotingasmen.ThewomenofMadrassecuredtheattention 6 oftheglobeasthenewsspread

Source:PrimaryData

Genderasavariable Respondents Percentage Female 152 53% Male 134 47% Graph2

The above table 2 indicates that 53% of the response was received from the femalepopulationand47%oftheresponsewasreceivedfrommalepopulation. Womenalsoprovedthattheyareequallyresponsibleforactivelytakingpartin theelectionprocessandelectaresponsiblerepresentativeforthecountry

Table03:Localityasavariable Locality also influences the voting behaviour People residing in Urban areas have more accesses to take part in politics as there is less rigidity exhibited in termsoftheircaste,religionandsoon.

Localityasavariable Respondents Percentage Urban 208 73% Rural 78 27%

Source:PrimaryData

SalesProfessional 44 15%

Retired 01 0.34% Housewife 26 9% Manager 19 7% Nurse 09 3%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph3

Residence:Theabovetable3indicates,majorityoftherespondentsthatis73% belonged to the urban community, the reason being people residing in urban areasreactedbettertothesurveycollected.27%oftherespondentsbelongedto ruralpopulation.

RuralPopulationarehomogeneousinnature,andtheyhavetofacetheimpactof caste,creed,orreligiontheybelongto.Rurality's&Urbanitiesdifferintheirvotingbehaviour,partypreferences,choiceofthecandidatesbetweenpeopleliving inurbanandruralareas.

Table04:EducationalQualificationasavariable

Education is an important variable to analyse the voting behaviour of the citizens.Everyadditionaleducationalqualificationcreatedgreaterimpactonthevotingbehaviour

EducationalQualificationasavariable Respondents Percentage

th12 Standard 22 8% Diploma 02 0.7% Graduate 168 59.3% Post-Graduate 61 21% Doctorate 20 7% Others 13 4%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph5

Theabovetable5reflectsthatmostoftherespondentsforthissurveybelonged fromtheTeachingcategorythatis31%.Theyfeelthatupdateofpoliticalknowledgeisveryessentialfortheirprofession.21%oftherespondentswereentrepreneursandBusinessmen.Peoplefromthisprofessionfeelsthatpossessingpoliticalknowledgeassistthemintheirprofessionasitalsohasrelevanceinupdating theirpoliticalknowledgeandtherecentpoliciesrelatedtobusiness.15%ofthe respondentsweresalesprofessionalswhotoofeelspoliticalknowledgeisvery necessary and helps their profession, 9% of the respondents were housewives whowerefreetodiscussonpoliticstotheirfriendsandabletogainknowledgeon thesame.7%oftherespondentswerefromtheManageriallevelwhodiscussed politicstotheircolleagueswhentheywerefree.Respondentswhoarefromthe Executive level of occupation were 6%. Respondents from other occupation such as Nurses, Students formed 3% and Retired professionals formed were 0.34%respectively

VariousOccupationalstatusofthecitizensinfluencetheirpoliticalbehaviour

Variablesresponsibletodeterminethevotersbehaviour: Table06:PossessionofvoterIDcardasavariable ElectionCommissionofIndiaissuesIDcardtoeligiblecitizensofthecountryto casttheirvoteduringelections.PossessionofVoterIdentityCardismandatory

PossessionofVoterIDCard Respondents Percentage Yes 282 99% No 4 1%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph4

Theabovetable4indicatesthatmostoftherespondentsforthissurveybelonged from the Graduate level of education that is 59.3%. 21% of the respondents belongedtothePost–graduatelevelofeducation.8%oftherespondentswere th who completed 12 standard education, 7% of the respondents were who have completed Doctorate's. Respondents from other education category (SSLC, th below10 standard)were4%andwhoheldaDiplomadegreewere0.7%.

Educationisperceivedasanimportanttooltoassistvoterstoeffectivelyparticipateintheelectionprocessastheywillbeabletogatherbetterinformation.

Table 05:Employmentasavariable

Employmentopportunityprovidesindividualstointeractwithco–workersand formopinionbasedontheirunderstandings.

Cohen and Vigoda (1999), for example, have found that political participation canexplainattitudesandbehavioursintheworkplace,reversingtherelationship 7 betweenthetwovariables

Employmentasavariable Respondents Percentage

Teaching 89 31% Executive 15 6% Student 11 3% Business 60 21% Corporate 12 4%

Graph6

Theabovetable6indicatesthat99%oftherespondentspossessedVoterIdentity cardandonly1%didnotpossessVoterIdentitycardbecausetheyhadjustcompleted18yearsofageandareyettoapplyforIdentificationcard.

IssueofVoterIdentitycardassisttoimprovetheaccuracyofelectionprocess.

Table 07:Numberoftimestherespondentscastedtheirvoteasavariable RepresentativesinIndiaareelectedoncein5years.Therighttovotegivesthecitizens the right to elect a capable leader.The number of times a voter cast their voteshasarelationwiththeirageandinterest.

Numberoftimestherespondentscastedtheir vote Respondents Percentage

Morethan10times 04 1%

Between6–9times 34 11%

Between3–5times 168 58% Between1-2times 77 29% Yettovote 03 1%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph7

Theabovetable7indicatesthat58%oftherespondentshavevotedmorethan35times.29%oftheVotershavecastedtheirvote1or2timesduringtheelections. 11%ofthevotershavevoted6–9timesduringvariouselections.1%havevoted morethan10timesandtheyarerespondentswhohavealsomentionedthatthey play an active role during elections and eagerly wait for the election results as well as all kinds of political news. 1% of the population are yet to vote as the respondents were mainly students who were below 18 years of age and yet to availtherighttovote.

The data clearly reveals that Indians participate during the election process to electacapableleader

Table08:Knowledgeregardingelectionprocessasavariable Discussingpoliticalhappeningsamongfamilymembers,friends,colleagues,or anyotherinformalgroupsaswellthroughmediahelpsinsensitizingregarding theelectionprocess.

Knowledgeregardingelection process

Respondents Percentage

10%-50% 130 46% 51%-100% 81 28% Nomuchknowledge 74 26%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph8

Theabovetable8impliesthatabout28%oftherespondentsareawareofpolitics andpossessenoughknowledgeregardingelectionprocess.46%oftherespondents possess comparatively less knowledge either because they are not interestedorlacktimeduetobusyschedule.Whenaskedabouttheiropinionregardingtheparticipationduringelectioncampaigns,majoritywerenotkeentogain knowledgeorparticipateinpoliticalactivities.Inculcatinginterestinpoliticsis theonlywayouttogetthecitizenstotakepartduringtheelectionprocess.

Table09:Effectivenessinelectionparticipationasavariable Effective participation during election process has a greater impact in voting behaviour Lower turnout during election process is often associated with citizensnotinterestedinpoliticalactivitiesastheyhavelosttrustinthepoliticalprocess.

Effectivenessinelectionparticipation

Respondents Percentage

Takeactivepartincampaigns 04 1%

Constantlyinvolvedinpoliticalactivities 09 3% Onlycastvote 99 35% Keepstrackoftheelectionupdatesandresult announcement 152 53% Forcedtovote 15 5% Donotinvolveinpoliticsandnotinterestedin voting 07 3%

Graph9

Theabovetable9indicatesthatabout53%oftherespondentskeeptrackofthe election updates and follow up the with the result announcement. 35% of the respondentsonlycastvoteandregarditasthemeredutyofthecitizenandnot interestedinanyfurthernewsastheyfeelthereexistcorruptioninthewholeprocess.5%oftherespondentsclaimedthattheywereforcedtovoteeitherbyfamily members, clique or politicians and also stated that there exist unfair practices. 3%oftherespondentsdonotinvolveinpoliticsandarenotinterestedinvoting becausetheyareeitherbusywiththeirscheduleornotinterestedtoinvolvethemselves in any kind of political activities. 3% of the respondents constantly involvedthemselvesinpoliticalactivities.1%oftherespondentstakeactivepart incampaignsduringelections.

Table10:Reasonsforvotingasavariable Votingbehaviouriscomplexinnatureandvariousscholarshavebeentryingto analysethenatureofthevotingbehaviouramongthecitizensofIndia.

Reasonsforvoting Respondents Percentage

Dutyofacitizen 99 35%

Toassistthepartyofmychoice 154 54%

Toassistthecandidateofmychoice 01 0.34%

Followthecrowd 10 3% Candidatesbelongtomykingroup 12 4% Workfortheupliftmentofthesociety 07 2% Corruptionfree 02 0.69%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph10

Respondentspossessvariousviewsregardingthereasonswhytheyvote.54%of therespondentsfeelthattheyshouldassistthecandidateoftheirchoiceandalso takeanactiveroleinparticipatingduringelections.35%oftherespondentsfeel thatitistheirdutytovoteasacitizenandinvolvethemselvesinallpoliticalactivities.4%oftherespondentsareoftheviewthattheyshouldsupportthecandidateswhobelongtotheirkingroupbecauseiftheyareelectedasrepresentatives, theywouldsupportthecommunityandassistthemduringnecessity.3%ofthe respondentsfollowthecrowdandchangetheirviewsaboutpoliticalpartyaswell astherepresentativesaspertheinfluencebythecrowd.Theyareoftheviewthat theyhavenomuchopinionregardingpoliticalhappeningsandchangetheiropinionaspertheinfluence.2%oftherespondentsareoftheviewthattheyshould workfortheupliftmentofthesociety 0.69%oftherespondentsareoftheview thattheyvoteinordertoselectaresponsiblerepresentativewhoisnotcorruptin ruling.0.34%oftherespondentsvotebecausetheyfeeltheyshouldassistthecandidatewhomtheysupporttowintheelection.Sensitizingtheimportanceofvoting is the priority of the civic authorities today otherwise the turnout of voters willdecrease.

Table 11:Votersdifferingtheirchoicetovoteafterattendingelectionrallies asavariable

InIndia,Electionsarecelebratedlikeanyotherfestivalandtheeagernessamong peopletocasttheirvoteisalsowellviewedbytheenthusiasmtheyreflect.

Votersdifferingtheirchoicetovoteafter attendingelectionrallies

Respondents Percentage

Yes 126 44% No 83 29% Tosomeextent 76 27%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph11

Campaignspopularizethecandidateandpartyideology 44%oftherespondents agreetotheviewthattheyhavechangedtheirviewsonwhomtovoteaftertaking partinelectionrallies.29%oftherespondentsfeelthattheyhavechosenacandidate and will support the candidate till elected as representative and no campaignscaninfluencetheirviews.27%areoftheviewthatattendingvariouselectioncampaignschangetheirviewtosomeextent.

Table12:Socialfactorsinfluencingthevoterasavariable Understandingwhatfactorseffectsthevotersturnoutduringelectionsmakesus analysethesocialenvironmenttheybelongto.

Socialfactorsinfluencingthevoter

Respondents Percentage

Belief 27 9%

Customofvotingforaparticularparty 142 50% Influencefromfamily/friends 76 26% Ideology 28 10% Charismaticleadership 05 2% Capabilityoftherepresentative 07 3%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph12

Insomecases,thequote–Habitsdiehardseemstoberight.Somerespondents areoftheviewthattheycannotchangethepartyorcandidatetowhomtheyhave beenloyalfromagesandhencewhatevermaybethesituationtheyvoteforthe partyorcandidatetheyarefamiliarwith.50%oftherespondentsareoftheview thattheywillcontinuetovotefortheparticularpartyastheyhavebeenaccustomedtothecustomofvotingforaparticularparty 26%oftherespondentsareof theviewthattheywillvoteforcandidateorpartywhoisdecidedbythefamilyor friends group. 10% of the respondents go by the party ideology 9% of the respondentsareaffectedbythebelieftheyholdandareadamanttochange.3%of therespondentsvoteforcandidateswhoarecapableofruling.2%oftherespondentsvoteforcandidatewhoarecharismaticinnature,anditcanincludepoliticalleadersormediapersonalities.

Table 13: Decision regarding choosing a particular candidate to vote as a variable

Choosing a candidate depends on the qualities the representative possess. It couldvaryfromleadershipqualities,knowledgeable,sincere,abilitytolistento theproblemsandissuesfacedbythecitizens.

Decisionregardingchoosingaparticular candidatetovote

Respondents Percentage

Votedforcandidatebasedonmycastegroup 111 39%

Votedforcandidatefamiliar 108 38%

Votedforcandidatewhokeepsuppromisein work 34 12%

Votedforcandidatebasedontheinfluence 32 11%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph13

Thetableaboveindicatesthatavotersfirststeptochooseacandidatedependson howcapabletheyareabletoaddresstheissuesandwhoalsovaluescitizens.39% oftherespondentsareoftheviewthattheyvoteforcandidateswhobelongsto their castes group because the respondents felt voting for candidates from the same caste provides them with better assurance. 38% of the respondents voted forcandidatesbasedontheirfamiliarity.Familiarityaccordingtothemyielded betterbenefits.12%oftherespondentsprefertovoteforcandidateswhokeeps uptheirpromiseatworkandpromptinrespondingtocitizensissues.11%ofthe respondents prefer to vote for candidates recommended by their family or friends.

Table 14: Influence by family / friends/ peergroup to vote fora particular candidate/Partyasavariable

Theinfluenceonchoiceofpartypreferencehasanimpactonthestateorcountry as a whole as some parties have a broad national appeal whereas others have a morelocalorregionalexistenceonly Somepartyideologyalsokeepschanging asleaderschange.So,choosingapartytovoteisalsoamajortask.

Influencebyfamily/friends/peergroupto voteforaparticularcandidate/Party

Source:PrimaryData

Respondents Percentage

Yes 197 69% No 88 31%

Graph14

Theabovetableindicatesthat69%oftherespondentswereinfluencedbyfamily, friends,orpeergroup.Politicaldiscussionsamongfamilyandfriendsgrouplead themtobelieveandgetinspiredtovoteforaparticularpartyorcandidate.Asa voter,wedecidewhichpartywillleadthecountrytoprogress.Somevotersareof theviewthatstrongneighbourhoodinfluencewhichmayoverruletheirdecision and conclude which party or candidate they should cast their vote. 31% of the respondentsareoftheviewthattheyvoteforpartyorcandidatespurelybasedon theiropinion.

Table15:Voter'sperceptionregardingthestatusarepresentativemustpossessasavariable

Being knowledgeable is important for a political leader in order to occupy a responsible position which gives a person the power of thinking, take up decisionsanddelivertheirdutypromptlytothenation.

Voter'sperceptionregardingthestatusa representativemustpossess

Respondents Percentage

Highlyqualified(Postgraduate) 190 66% Involvedinsocialservice 25 9% Anaffluentperson 29 10% Defencebackground 15 5% Excivilservant 15 5% Academician 11 4% Anyotherreason 01 0.34%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph15

Majorityoftherespondentswereinfavourofeducatedpoliticalleaders.66%of the respondents preferred highly qualified individuals as leaders. 10% of the respondentspreferredpersonfromaffluentcategoryastheyfeeltheywouldbe helpfultothepeoplewhoareinneedoffinancialhelp.9%oftherespondentsare of theview thatcandidatescontestingfor electionshould be involvedin social servicessothattheyaremoreaccountabletocitizen'sneeds.5%oftherespondents are of the view that respondents should be from defence background becausetheyfeelthereismoredisciplinedimposedandcanreducecorruption. 5%oftherespondentsfeelExcivilservantswouldmakebetterpoliticalleaders astheywouldbeacclimatedtoadministrationandpossessfairlygoodleadership qualities. 4%oftherespondentsstronglybelievethatleadersshouldbefromacademicbackgroundastheywouldbeupdatedwithknowledgeregardingthehappenings at the national as well as the international level. 0.34% of the respondents have opted to select other reason and was of the view that more than the qualification acquired, a leader must have administrative skill, be patriotic and workforthewelfareofthenation.

Table 16: Cultural determinants that influence the electoral behaviour of thevoterasavariable Culturaldeterminantshaveinfluencedthepatternofvotingamongthepeoplein India. The ideas, ideologies, beliefs, values, ways of behaving, thinking, languagepatternsandsoonhaveanimpactonthevoter Source:PrimaryData

dentsareoftheviewthatcustomnormshaveamajorinfluenceontheirvoting behaviour 15% of the respondents quote religion and influence of religious grouphasaffectedtheirvotingbehaviour 13%oftherespondentsareoftheview that Kin group has a strong influence on their voting behaviour 11% of the respondents are of the view that education and knowledge thus gained has assistedthemtoanalysethecapabilityofeachcontestantandvotefortheright candidate.7%oftherespondentsareoftheviewthatideologywhichtheyhave acquired over the years either from their family members or friends group has beeninfluentialinvotingduringelections.3%oftherespondentsareoftheview thattheregionthattheybelongtohasaneffectontheirvotingbehaviourespeciallyvotersbelongingtosmallerareabecausethecitizensimitateeachotherand thereisasimilarapproachtheyfollowinalltheiractivities.IndiansocietyisculturalboundasrightlypointedoutbyBartolini(2011),Abehaviourallybaseddifferencewithoutanideologicalknotorstructuralrootsinsocietyisalsounlikely tolast,whichisanimportantreasonwhymostpartiestrytoestablishaculturalor 8 ideologicalunderpinninginordertosurvive

Table17:Votersbeingpersuadedbythecandidatescontestingelectionasa variable

Votebuyingisextremelywidespreadtoday.Electioncampaignsendupbydistributinggiftsandmoneytothevoters.

Votersbeingpersuadedbythecandidates contestingelection

Respondents Percentage Yes 151 53% No 135 47%

Source:PrimaryData

Theabovetableindicatesthatrespondentshavebeeninfluencedbyvariousculturaldeterminantsandithasaffectedtheirpatternofvoting.51%oftherespon-

Graph17

The above table indicates that respondents have been persuaded by the candidateswithbribeduringelections.53%haveagreedtopoliticiansandpartymembers approaching them with bribe during the election campaigns.This encouragescorruptionandcapturingofpollingboothattimesandalsocitizenslosing faithovertheirpoliticalleaders. 47%oftherespondentshaveinformedthatthey havenotbeenpersuadedbythepoliticiansorpartymembersduringelectioncampaigns.

Table18:Prefervotingforcandidateswhooffersbribeasavariable Corruption is hard to measure as the act is carefully concealed. Trying to buy voteswithcashandothergiftsduringelectionsisrampantinIndia.

Prefervotingforcandidateswhooffersbribe Respondents Percentage Yes 11 4% No 274 96%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph18

Theabovetablerevealthatrespondentsaretryingtocurbcorruptionbyavoiding toacceptbribefrompoliticianswhoarewillingtopersuadethem.Inoneofthe interactionarespondentrevealedthatthoughtheyarepoorandinneedofmoney, willonlyvotefortherightcandidate.Thereisagradualshiftinthemindsetofpeopletocurbcorruption.96%haverespondedthattheywouldnotprefervotingfor candidate who offers bribe. 4% of the respondents have agreed to the fact that theywouldvoteforcandidatewhoofferstohelpthemfinancially

Table19:Preferencetochangepartywithchangeinleadershipasavariable Votersattimesdecidetochangepartywiththechangeinleadership.Improper leadershipdrivesvoterstochangetheparty

Preferencetochangepartywithchangein leadership Respondents Percentage

Yes 205 72% No 81 28%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph19

Somerespondentshavebeenloyaltocertainpartyduetotheideologythepolitical party possess and have been voting from ages but if the leaders are corrupt thenthevotersareoftheviewthattheyneedtochoosetherightleader Theabove tableindicatesthat72%oftherespondentswouldchangethepartyiftheleaderis incapable.28%oftherespondentswouldnotchangethepartywiththechangeof leaderastheystillcherishthepartyideology.PossessingfairLeadershipqualitiesisveryimportantforacandidatecontestingforelection.

Table 20:Preferenceofdeliveringofpoliticalcommunicationasavariable Theroleoffamilyandfriendsinconveyingthepoliticalupdatesbecomesmore important than newspaper or any other media. Respondents claim that busy scheduleofworkandotherobligationsdenythemfromreferringtothepolitical updatesfromthemediahencetheyprefertodiscussthepoliticalnewswithfamilymembersandfriendsgroup.

Preferenceofdeliveringofpolitical communication Respondents Percentage

ElectronicMedia 105 38% PrintMedia 62 22% Familymembers 36 12% PeerGroup 09 3% FriendsGroup 73 25%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph20

The above table reflects that 38% of the respondents would prefer to receive updateregardingelectionprocessthroughelectronicmediamainlybywatching theTelevision.Duringtheconversationwithfewrespondents,theywereofthe viewthattheywouldprefertowatchtheupdatesonTelevisionandsomeofthe respondentsfromruralareamentionedthattheylistentothenewstelecastedin Radioastheysimultaneouslyperformtheiroccupation.25%oftherespondents prefertogathernewsfromthefriendsgroupasitgivesthemexcitementtolisten toinformalgrouptalks.22%oftherespondentsespeciallyelderlycitizensprefer to read the news in newspaper 12% prefer to discuss the political happenings amongfamilymembersandthiscategoryofvotersareinfluencedbyfamilymembersonwhomtovote.3%ofthevotersprefertodiscusswithpeergroupandthis includesmainlythestudentswhodiscusspoliticswiththeirbatchmates.

Table21:Respondentsviewonvotinginfutureasavariable MajorityofthepopulationinIndiaiseligibletocasttheirvotebutonlyafeware enthusiastictovote.Somehavelostinterestduetotheincreasecorruption.India needstotakeastandtoencouragethevoterstocasttheirvoteasmanyskipgoing tothepollingboothstovoteforvariousreasons.

Willvoteinfuture Respondents Percentage

Yes 282 98% No 04 1% NotSure 01 0.34%

Source:PrimaryData

Graph21

Theabovetableindicatesthewillingnessofthevotertocastvoteinfutureand 98%oftherespondentshavementionedtheirwillingnesstovoteinfutureforthe developmentofthecountry 1%oftherespondentrefusetovoteand0.34%ofthe respondentsarenotsuretovote.Whendiscussedtheyrevealedthattherewasa lag in the performance of the political party, corruption was rampant, image of mostoftheleaderswastarnishedastheywerenotfairenoughintheirduty

HYPOTHESIS:

Voting behaviour is affected by ideology, customs, social identity, gender bias, emotions,andfamilydecisions.Therationalityofthevotersisrestrainedasthe inherentpreconceptionsoverridetheirrationalthought.Keepinginviewofthe objectives,thefollowinghypotheseswereframedaftercarefullyanalysingwith similarstudiessothatthereisnorecurrence.

H1:ThereisnosignificantrelationbetweenEducationalQualificationintheparticipationinelectionandreasonsforvoting.

Educational Qualification Election Participation Reasonfor Voting

EducationalQualification 1 ElectionParticipation 0.027196 1 ReasonforVoting 0.000625 0.04566 1

Pearson'scorrelationcoefficientwascomputedtoassessthelinearrelationship between educational qualification in relation to election participation and reasons for voting. The Corelation between Education Qualification and Election Participationis0.027196whichmeansthereisamoderatepositiverelationship betweenthevariables.TheCorelationbetweenEducationQualificationandReasons for voting is 0.000625 which means there is a minor positive relationship betweenthevariables.TheCorelationbetweenElectionParticipationandReasonsforvotingis0.04566whichmeansthereisamoderatepositiverelationship betweenthevariables.WhichindicatesthatasthereisanincreaseinEducational Qualificationpeopleactivelyparticipateinrenderingtheirfranchiseastheyare awareoftheirdutyascitizensinappointingarepresentative.

H2:Thereisnosignificantrelationbetweenknowledgeaboutelectionondeferringthechoiceofthecandidateafterwitnessingcampaignsanddecidingwhom tovote.

knowledgeabout Election choiceofthecandidate afterparticipatingin thepoliticalrallies

Choiceof the candidate knowledgeabout Election 1 choiceofthe candidateafter participatinginthe politicalrallies

0.0268 1 Choiceofthe candidate 0.071827 0.008079 1

Pearson'scorrelationcoefficientwascomputedtoassessthelinearrelationship between educational qualification in relation to election participation and reasons for voting. The Corelation between knowledge about election and the choiceofdifferinginchoosingthecandidatetovoteis0.0268whichmeansthere isaminorpositiverelationshipbetweenthevariables. DependingontheKnowl-

edgeapersonhasregardingelectionprocesshelpstheindividualtochoosethe right representative after attending election campaigns and understanding the candidate'sabilities.

TheCorelationbetweenknowledgeaboutelectionandthechoiceofacandidate to vote is 0.071827 which means there is a moderate positive relationship betweenthevariables. DependingontheKnowledgeapersonhasregardingelectionprocesshelpstheindividualtochoosetherightrepresentativebasedonthe candidate'sabilities.

TheCorelationbetweenchoiceofthecandidateafterparticipatinginthepolitical ralliesandthechoiceofacandidatetovote0.008079whichmeansthereisamoderatepositiverelationshipbetweenthevariables.Attendingelectioncampaigns helps the individual to choose the right representative based on the candidate's abilities.

H3:Thereisnosignificantrelationbetweentheoccupationofthevoterinrelation to the social factors and the influence of the family/friends/ peer group as wellonaparticularpoliticalpartyorcandidate.

Social Factors Influencedby family/friend/peer group/othersto votefora particular candidate/Party?

Socialfactors 1 Influencedby family/friend/peergroup/ otherstovotefora particularcandidate/ Party

Occupation

political activity of the individual while choosing a representative is also impactedbytheculturalinfluence.

TheCorelationbetweentheinfluenceofCulturaldeterminantsandtheageofan individual to vote for particular candidate or party is 0.016844 which means thereisaminorpositiverelationbetweenthetwovariables. Humanbeingsare borninsocietycomprisingofcultureandthecultureispractisedthroughouttheir lifeandindividualsgethabituatedtowhatislearntfromanearlierageandhence isalsofoundintheirpoliticalactivities.

TheCorelationbetweentheinfluenceofthepoliticalideologyoffamily/friend and peer group and age to vote for particular candidate or party is 0.038621 whichindicatesthatthereisamoderatepositiverelationbetweenthetwovariables. Family, friends, and peer group ideology is imparted to a person during theirinteraction,andthisgrowsasindividualgetsolder

ANALYSIS&RESULTS:

EveryactivityinIndiaisbasedoncaste,religion,andfamily Electioncampaigns alsomakeuseofthesesentimentswhichIndianstreasure.Itiseasyforpolitical parties to mesmerize people and influence them through their campaigns. In ordertoanalysethesefactorsPearson'scorrelationcoefficientwasimplemented basedontheprimarydatacollectedfromBangalore–ruralaswellasurbanareas. Familymembersandpeergroupalsoisanaddedfactorwhichinfluencetheirvotingbehaviour

0.34162324 1 Occupation 0.123531941 0.085711391 1

Pearson'scorrelationcoefficientwascomputedtoassessthelinearrelationship betweensocialfactorssuchasaffiliationtoCaste,charismaticcharacter,education,localityinrelationtotheinfluenceoffamily/friendandpeergrouptovote forparticularcandidateorpartywhoalsoisinfluencebythesamesocialfactors. The Corelation between social factors and the influence of family/ friend and peergrouptovoteforparticularcandidateorpartyis0.34162324whichmeans thereisastrongpositiverelationshipbetweenthetwovariables. Socialfactors andinfluencefromfamily,friendsandpeergrouphasagreaterimpactonanindividualwhilechoosingarepresentative.

The Corelation between social factors and the influence of one's occupation to voteforparticularcandidateorpartyis0.123531941whichmeansthereisanegligible positive relationship between the two variables. Few individuals irrespectiveoftheirhigheroccupationalstatusstillgetsinfluencedbythesocialfactorswhichtheyhaveastrongbondingfor

The Corelation between and the influence of family/ friend and peer group to voteforcandidateorpartyandtheoccupationalinfluencetovoteforaparticular candidateis0.085711391whichmeansthereisamoderatepositiverelationship between the two variables.This clearly states that individuals are influence by theirfriend'sgrouporPeergroupirrespectiveoftheirhigheroccupationalstatus because during interaction with friends group of the same organisation has an impactandinfluenceonanindividual'sdecision-makingprocess.

H4:Thereisnosignificantrelationbetweenageofthevoterinfluencingtheculturaldetermianatsandtheinfluenceoffamily/friends/peergroupregardingtheir politicalview

Cultural determinants politicalparty ideologyinfluencedby family/friends/peer group? Age

Culturaldeterminants 1 politicalpartyideology influencedbyfamily/ friends/peergroup?

0.012695 1 Age 0.016844 0.038621 1

Pearson'scorrelationcoefficientwascomputedtoassessthelinearrelationship betweenculturaldeterminantssuchastraditions,customs,ideology,religionin relation to the influence of family/ friend and peer group on party ideology to voteforparticularcandidateorpartywhoalsohasiscaptivatedbythesameCulturaldeterminants.TheCorelationbetweenCulturaldeterminantsandtheinfluenceofthepoliticalideologyoffamily/friendandpeergrouptovoteforparticularcandidateorpartyis0.012695whichmeansthereisaminorpositiverelationshipbetweenthetwovariables. Culturaldeterminantsaresocialinnatureand hencetheinfluenceofcultureisstrongonthepeoplelivinginthesocietyorcommunityanditimpactoneveryactivityanindividualisinvolvedinandthusthe

Theresultshowthattheculturalinfluencehasastronginfluenceontherespondentsvotingbehaviour Allfactorsthoughareseeminglyindependentvariables butareinter-dependentandinturninfluenceeachother.Examiningeachofthis will clearly help us relate to the voting behaviour and identify the linkages betweeneachvariable.Thesurveyofthestudywasconductedbetweenthetime periodofNovember2021–September2022.

Theanalysisshowsthefollowingoutcome.Educatedpeopleareawareoftheir dutyascitizensinappointingarepresentativeandactivelyparticipateinrenderingtheirfranchiseFamilymembers,friend'sgrouporPeergroupcaninfluence thevotingbehaviourirrespectiveoftheirhigheroccupationalstatus.Culturehas amajorroletoplayduringelectionsonthevotingbehaviourofthecitizens.

Sociological study often tends to look to the socio-cultural determinants that influencethevotingbehaviourofanindividualsuchastheroleofcaste,family, religion,ideologyandsoon.Citizenscasttheirvotebasedonthesefactors.

SUGGESTIONS:

InculcatepoliticalknowledgeamongthecitizenofIndiaandurgethemtoknow aboutthepoliticalhappeningsinthecountryatleastduringelections.

Createbetterawarenessandknowledgeaboutexistingelectoralprocessandtheir righttocastvotethroughreadingnewspaperandelectronicmedianeedstobefurtherpromotedinruralareas.

Conduction of frequent and too many elections lead to voters absenting themselvesfromvoting.

Political leaders need to be more vigilant because not adhering to some of the civicneedsabstainthevotersfromvoting.

Lessinterferenceofthepoliticalpartyonthecitizensduringelections.

Createbetterpoliticalenvironmentbyavoidingviolence.

Encouragevoterparticipationespeciallyuseofregionallanguagewouldprove beneficial in remote areas, conduct voter registration campaigns, and also involveparticipationofthecitizensinallpoliticalactivitiesspeciallytheyouth.

IntroductionofE–Votingprocedureinasecuredportalwithnon-interferenceby anoutsiderwillassistinincreasingthenumberofvotersturnoutduringelections. Thiswillalsobehelpfultoprofessionalswhohaveabusyscheduleandunableto visitthepollingbooths.Womenmightalsofeelsecuredtovoteifsuchasystemis introduced.

CONCLUSION:

FromthestudyitisevidentthatvotingbehaviourinIndiaisinfluencedbythecultural determinants.Voters in India always have a cultural affiliation when they vote.Cultureistheirwayoflifeandvotebasedontheircaste,ideology,religion, customarynorms,influencefromfamilymembersandsoon.Thoughthereare somechangestakingplacethevotersmayconsiderdeep–seatedsocialandculturalbiases.Understandingandexaminingthesevariablesisnecessaryinorder toidentifytheculturalimpactonthevoters.Thestudywasadescriptiveoneand bothprimaryandsecondarydatawascollected.Theanalysisclearlyrevealsthe impactofcultureevenonthepoliticalactivityofthepeopleinIndia.

The analysis also explored the views of the voters in order to understand their responsetovariousindicatorsandalsothesignificanceoftheireducationalqualification,professionalStatus,Votersknowledgeregardingelectionprocess,and

participationinelectioncampaigns.Alltheseanalysissupportedinunderstandingthetopicofstudy

Thecrucialchallengeisdecisiononvotingshouldbeprovidedtotheindividuals whichwillhelpthembecomemoreawareoftheirrightsasacitizen.

REFERENCES:

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