Factors affecting people’s participation in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon Province

Abstract

The purposes of the research included the following: 1. to study the level of political participation and various factors affecting political participation of people in Muaeng Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon Province, 2. to study the influence of various factors affecting the political participation of people in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District. The sample consisted of 400 eligible voters in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District. The  instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The Index of Item-Objective Congruence values ​​were between 0.60  to 1.00, the discrimination power was between 0.379  to 0.912, and the reliability was 0.899. The statistics employed for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and multiple regression analysis. The research revealed these results: 1. Political participation of people in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District is generally at a moderate level. Factors affecting the political participation of people in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District: the aspect with the highest average value is values and beliefs, followed by social relationships. Perception of political information and influence of media were high, and the lowest mean value was trust in the government. 2. Factors such as media influence and values and beliefs significantly influenced political participation among residents in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon Province, at a statistically significant level (p < 0.01). By being able to jointly predict the level of political participation of people in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District at 31.10 percent, except for factors of trust in government, social relations, and access to political information.