The impact of americanization on voter behavior in election campaigns-The case of Düzce

This study examines the historical development of the concept of political marketing and the transformation of election campaigns through the process of Americanization at both theoretical and practical levels. Political marketing is an approach that structures the strategic communication process established between political actors and voters in line with the principles of the marketing discipline. Since the 1960s, with the adaptation of marketing techniques to the political arena, campaign processes have evolved into a structure that is personalized, media-centered, data-driven, and conducted with professional tools. In the first section of the study, the theoretical foundations of the phenomenon of political marketing are presented through a literature review; fundamental elements related to the formal and substantive transformation of election campaigns within the context of the Americanization process (personalization, technification, media autonomy, voter passivation) are analyzed. The second section systematically examines the fundamental theoretical models of voter behavior (psychological, sociological, rational) and the socio-economic, demographic, socio-cultural, and political factors that influence this behavior. In the application section, a survey was conducted with 401 participants in Düzce province to measure the effects of Americanization on voter behavior. The data obtained were evaluated using the SPSS statistical analysis program; variables affecting voter behavior were analyzed and interpreted based on personal information and survey questions.