A comparative analysis of the patterns of politicalcommunication and political participation of generationsX, Y, Z in Turkey

Changes and transformations that occur in a society over time cause the age groups in that society to differ from each other by showing different characteristics. These age groups differ from each other; It is called the 'generation'. While the age groups classified under the same generation show similar attitudes and behaviors to each other, they may differ from other generations in terms of attitude and behavior. The concept of political communication, which emerged with the coming together of politics and communication, has become indispensable for political parties and actors, especially in order to keep up with the changing dynamics of society in parallel with the developments in technology. Especially during election periods, many campaigns are supported by political communication studies in order to influence the voting preferences of the voters and to change their political attitudes and preferences. The concept of political participation can be thought of as actions that take place at different levels, from following political news to voting behavior, from party membership to being in a political office. Political participation allows people to have a say in the administration of the country by using their rights in a democratic order. Especially in changing and transforming societies, political decision making is affected by many factors. In this thesis, while the political communication and political inheritance patterns of the X, Y, Z generations in Turkey are compared with each other, at what points the political participation levels, political communication, political interests, use of media tools of the youth, especially the so-called Z generation, differ from the X and Y generations. in which points they are similar will be revealed. Within the scope of this research, the data used were collected by the questionnaire method, Microsoft Excel and SPSS 23.0 were used in the evaluation of the data. The political communication and political participation patterns of the X, Y, Z generations were analyzed comparatively in the interviews held with a total of 765 people in the 17+ age group in 12 provinces representing 12 regions.