Communication Strategy for Fostering Participation in Local Governance Development by the Community Committee in Pak Kret Municipality, Nonthaburi Province

Abstract

This research article was quantitative. Research Objectives : 1) To examine political news exposure behavior, 2) To study local political participation, 3) To propose communication strategies for fostering community committee participation in local political development in Pak Kret Municipality, Nonthaburi Province. Research Methodology This study employed a mixed-methods approach: Quantitative Research, Survey questionnaires were distributed to 420 community committee members, a finite population, Data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, and other statistical techniques. Qualitative Research, In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 key informants, Focus group discussions were held with 10 participants, Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed within a contextual framework and presented in a descriptive manner.

Research Findings : 1)Political News Exposure Behavior of Community Committee Members Community committee members exhibited high levels of political news exposure across various communication channels, including online media, mass media, and interpersonal communication. The overall mean score was 3.73, with online media having the highest mean score (4.01). 2) Local Political Participation Behavior Overall, community committee members demonstrated high levels of local political participation (mean = 3.56). When analyzed by dimension, political communication participation had the highest mean score (3.68), followed by election campaign participation (3.58), political rally participation (3.56), and political decision-making participation (3.42). 3) Local Political Communication Strategies The study proposed the following communication strategies: (1) Political Culture Communication Strategy (5 Ss): Create accessible and easy-to-understand media, Create media accessible to everyone,Create media through social media, Create safe and constructive public media spaces, and Promote community media. (2) Communication Channel Strategy:  Communicate through online platforms, Communicate through local mass media, and Communicate through key opinion leaders. (3) Communication for Participatory Local Political Development Strategy (6 Ss): Create easily accessible media, Create community communication spaces, Create community communication activities, Create community communication networks, Facilitate collective learning, and Foster representation