Propaganda and communication factors affecting voters choice: A research on the Turkish voter behaviour

This study has been prepared to analyse, the factors that could influence the Turkish voters' preferences between political parties and candidates especially from the point of propaganda and communication factors' view. In the theoretical parts of the study, the socio-psychological fundamentals and process has been examined in relation to the individual decision-making. In addition to the sociological, rational and party identification approaches developed to explain the political preferences of the voters "issue voting" and "ideological voting" models that have began gaining importance have been emphasized. In the theoretical parts, campaigns, polls, mass media, canvassing techniques and some persuasion strategies have been discussed as propaganda and communication factors affecting voters' decision. Some models have been developed especially to explain the Turkish voters' decision making process and the way they could be persuaded. The assumptions in the theoretical parts has been tried to be checked with a field study conducted on a sample group of 469 person in Konya October 1997. The majority of the assumptions and models developed within the study have been proved based on some statistical analyses. In addition question of which subjects or points should be emphasized in the message strategies that could be used to persuade the voters has been tried to be answered. iiiAs a result of field study it has been shown that the majority of the Turkish voters are "idealist voters" who vote in accordance to their believes and ideologies. The percentage of voters who based their choices solely the economic interests has been found substantially lower. It has also been found as a result that the majority of Turkish voters are open to be influenced and they could be persuaded by well-planned message strategies. According to another results of the study the instruments used in the propaganda and communication activities are important as an information source rather than a direct factors that affects the voters' decision making process. Furthermore it has also been found that techniques like "the foot in the door", "fears appeals" and "issue voting" could be quite useful in the persuasion of the voters. IV