Public perception of the role of the mass media in communicating the 2023 electoral process: a study of the gubernatorial elections in Delta State

Abstract

The public's education and awareness of issues and events in their environment, particularly those related to elections, is greatly aided by the mass media. In addition to acting as a mobilizer, the media sets the agenda, dictating what the public believes. This study, however, looked at how the public perceived the mass media's role in disseminating information about the 2023 election process: a study of the Delta State gubernatorial elections. Focus groups and in-depth interviews were employed as data gathering tools in a qualitative study design. Twenty adult male and female voters who were registered to vote in the 2023 governor's race made up the sample size. Results indicated that the media provided information to voters about the different candidates in each political party, and that voters, or electorates, used this information to form their opinions about candidates. It was also found that the media did not report on the candidates in an unfair manner. Accordingly, the study suggests that more research be done to ascertain how messages from the mass media affected the electorate in Delta State during the 2023 election process. It also suggests comparing the functions of print, electronic, and social media in the state's electoral processes.