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- No of Pages: 60

- No of Chapters: 5

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Introduction:

Abstract

This research is survey research on the influence of communication on the political behaviour of the masses. A study of the transition programmes using the last April, 2011 general election in Enugu Metropolis as a case study. A total of 201 respondents shall be drawn from five (5) different zones of the Enugu Metropolis. The zones are Awkwunanu, Asata, Emene, Independence –Layout, Trans- Ekulu.



Simple percentages shall be used in presenting the results of the research questions.



The research will reveal that the print broadcast and interpersonal communications influence the electorates voting behavior during the April, 2011 general election. It will also reveal that government media relay political information with higher credibility than that relayed by the privately owned media. It will also find that interpersonal communication has the greatest influence on the political behaviour of the masses.



Equally, it will disclose that the election of media for political information depends on the level of income.



Similarly, it will reveal that interpersonal communication was the most frequent used means of communication during the April, 2011 general government election.



Finally, people understand the political information relayed through interpersonal communication than either broadcast or print media because of the nature of its language.

Table of Content

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Introduction

INTRODUCTION



BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY



Communication is derived from the verb “communicate” which means to pass on. To communication is an act of imparting or transmitting. It can also be viewed as the means/ process of the relevant results of the process of conveying information from one place to another place or unit (the unit being social such as persons, groups or mechanism such as computers).



In the lower animals communication goes on through emotional crises, body movement and forms of signals which are common to them. In social psychology, communication is generally restricted to denoting the type of interaction process whereby human participants are both initiators and recipients of information.



Communication is also the motor and expression of social activities and civilization. It leads people from instinct to inspiration through variegated processes and system of inquiry. It creates common pool of ideas, strengthens feelings and thought into action, reflecting every emotion. Infact, communication maintains and animates life. As a results of the importance attached to communication and technologies advances on the world of today, communication has developed into mass communication. Mass communication is a process of reaching out to a mass audience with information through mediated channels. The channels include radio and television, other wise known as the electronic media. Newspaper magazines periodicals and books (the print media). These are channels through which a variegated audience with diverse characteristic, social – economic status, educational level, cultural background, perception capabilities, belief systems. sex differentiations and age limit are reached simultaneously mobilized and other sorts of functions which are well beyond realms. The purpose of the mass media is to achieve development through effective communication with the desired audience.



The main purpose of communication is to let the target audience decode that is to receive and understand and send a feed back which will enable the encoder (sender) to known how the message was perceived by the audience.



The add more to the importance of mass communication, a mass communication scholar, marshal Mchuham said of the process of communication that “the medium is the message” this necessitates the case study of which medium (the broadcast, print and interpersonal communication) has greater influence on the political behaviour of the masses.



Consequently, broadcast media which are part of mass communication play vital role. Thus, through the broadcast media the government and political parties send their message across to the people in a manner that they would understand.



Today, many people in the country have radio and television sets from where they learn of government programmes.



Happily, most of the programmes are now being broadcast in subtle English and local languages. moreso, the print media are not left out.



Today, many newspapers and magazines act as agents of mobilization although they are elite oriented. The problem of the print unlike its counter part the broadcast is two, folds (a) mass literacy and (b) high cost of the newspaper.



Due to the high level of / literacy in the country, many Nigerians, especially those in the rural areas, do not read newspaper.



Again, not many can afford to spend about hundred and fifty Naira (N150) to buy a copy of a newspaper on a daily basis.



Another means of communication is the interpersonal medium. This medium of information seems to be quicker and wide spread. It is used by the government and parties in mobilizing the masses during elections. The information here is widely disseminated through town unions, age grades, woman and youth groups during political rallies. Any information collected or received by an individual is quicker shared by others. There are wide specializations that this medium has the greatest influence on the people. Nigeria with vast population of people and with about 70% of her population being moralities still make adequate use of oral media in information dissemination.



The use of town criers is still very popular and they are still very much regarded as agents of mass mobilization for elections and transition programmes as the case may be.