Influence of exposure to radio on women voters' participation in the 2013 general election in Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

Radio remains an important source of political information for the electorate in developing countries. In Kenya, radio listenership among women stands at almost 81 percent, with an average of almost 33 hours per week for each female audience member. Thus, radio is expected to influence electoral participation of women who form a large voting block in Kenya. Despite this, exposure to radio may not be enhancing political attitudes and electoral participation of women voters. A few studies conducted on the 2013 Kenyan polls acknowledge radio as an important source of political information for voters. However, the researchers did not concurrently analyze respondents’ socio-demographics, radio exposure, political attitudes and electoral participation. This limited research scope and scholarship on radio in relation to women’s electoral participation reflect knowledge gaps.