Factors Influencing Voter Decision-Making in the Election of the President of the Maha Sarakham Provincial Administrative Organization President on 1 February 2025

Abstract

This research consists purposes were 1. to study the voting behavior in the election of the President of the Maha Sarakham Provincial Administrative Organization on February 1, 2025 2. to examine the factors influencing the decision to vote for the President of the Maha Sarakham Provincial Administrative Organization in the election on February 1, 2025 and 3. to compare the mean scores of the factors affecting the decision to vote for the President of the Maha Sarakham Provincial Administrative Organization in the election on 1 February 2025. This quantitative research employed a questionnaire as the research instrument. The sample consisted of 650 participants, randomly selected from a total population of 761,551 eligible voters. Data collected from the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including percentage, mean, and standard deviation, as well as inferential statistics such as t-test, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis. The research findings revealed that 1) Voters placed the greatest importance on candidates’ policy platforms (x̄ = 4.29) and personal characteristics (x̄ = 4.29) 2) Factors influencing the decision to elect the President of the Maha Sarakham Provincial Administrative Organization on 1 February 2025 included age, education and occupation, all of which had a clear impact across every dimension. Residential area also influenced several factors, particularly policy preferences and political participation, while gender and income affected only certain aspects and 3) The model explained only 2.6% of voting behavior, although it was statistically significant (F = 3.181, p < .05). These results indicate that the significant predictors nonetheless had a limited overall explanatory power.