Political Information & Ethnic Voting : A study on the impact of political information on ethnic voting behavior in Africa

Abstract: ​Does political information lower the incidence of ethnic voting in Africa? Even though a significant amount of research has been dedicated to African ethnic voting behaviour,​not much capacity has been dedicated to studying the function of ethnic cues as informational shortcuts. Considering voters use cognitive shortcuts like party affiliations or ideology when making decisions, it is also plausible that voters in elections characterized by ethnic voting use demographic cues in lieu of more comprehensive information. The aim of this thesis was therefore to contribute to the existing research on how informational context affects ethnicity as a determinant for voting behaviour, testing a theory developed by Conroy-Krutz suggesting more political information reduces the incidence of ethnic voting. Using Afrobarometer survey data from 2016-2018, regression analysis was conducted measuring the effects of access to and consumption of political information on ethnic voting in Kenya. The results are ambiguous and do not lend support to the theory in its current form, but instead suggests that what kind of political information and how it is perceived might affect the relationship with ethnic voting. Another possibility is that the content of the political information, bringing about factors like media coverage and press freedom, should be accounted into the model. More research is needed to dismiss or develop the theory, and so this thesis opens up for more research to be made concerning our understanding on the effects of political information on ethnic voting behavior.