“51%” - - -Half of all Filipino families described themselves as
poor in March 2023 – a finding barely changed from December
GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE! I AM (NAMES). WE ARE
HERE TO PRESENT TO YOU OUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL
TITLED, “POLITICAL AWARENESS AND VOTING
PREFERENCES AMONG FIRST-TIME SANGGUNIANG
KABATAAN VOTERS IN MAASIN CITY, SOUTHERN LEYTE”
In this generation of young voters and based on
what they value, can they be entrusted to select
the best person for the job? Do they put a
premium on political awareness or are they
marionettes pulled by society’s strings?
What is the level of political awareness among the
first-time SK voters; what is their voting
preference? and is there a significant relationship
between their level of political awareness and
voting preference?
The study’s analysis of the first-time Sangguniang
Kabataan (SK) voters’ political awareness and voting
preference is premised on the argument of the Rational
Choice Theory which states that preference depends on
the satisfaction of individual self-interest. Thus,
politically aware voters are expected to have voting
preferences based on their rational self-interest. Badaru
(2021) stressed that selecting the most capable
candidates during elections, is highly affected by an
individual’s political awareness.
Given the number of population of the first-time SK
voters in Maasin City, simple random sampling
technique will be utilized. The adoption of this
sampling method will ensure an efficient gathering
of data, while also minimizing the time and
resources required for data collection. Additionally,
it facilitates a diverse representation of voters from
various barangays, thereby enhancing the
generalizability of the study's findings to the entire
city.
2022, according to a Social Weather Stations survey. The
extreme poverty situation in the Philippines is attributed to the
political awareness of Filipino people in putting candidates’ to
office to represent their interest.
Low political awareness can lead to the selection of leaders who
are ill-equipped to address the root causes of poverty and
promote sustainable development, perpetuating a cycle of
economic hardship and social struggles.
To answer these questions, we tried to look for
literatures relevant to this matter. However, we found
none. Most of the available literatures mainly focus on
investigating the relationship between moral reasoning
and political leader preference, voting preference and
party identification, political knowledge and political
involvement, and some studies discuss solely the
concepts of either political awareness and voting
preference without linking these variables. Also, there is
no contextualization of the study.
So, how do we fill these gaps? Thus, this study exists.
This is a quantitative study under descriptive-correlational design. Descriptive-
correlational design is used since this study aims to assess the level of political
awareness and voting preference of the first-time Sangguniang Kabataan voters
and how these variables correlate to one another.
Now, where will the study be the conducted & who will be the respondents?
The study will be conducted in Maasin City, Southern Leyte. The primary focus
recipients will be on the first-time Sangguniang Kabataan voters. By selecting these
respondents from this specific locality, the study will be able to glean valuable
insights into the political engagement and participation of the youth within Maasin
City.
With regards to data collection tool, an adapted survey
questionnaire from Voter Insights on the 2022 National
Elections (VINE) Survey conducted by Ateneo School of
Government (ASoG) of the Ateneo de Manila University will be
used to assess the voting preference of the respondents.
Provided with the fact that this questionnaire has been
employed in a nationwide survey, its validity and reliability is
rest assured. On the other hand, a researcher-made will be
employed to measure the level of political awareness
considering the unavailability of a standardized tool. Rest
assured that the statements in the questionnaire will be
validated and verified through pilot testing.
Once the data are gathered, Median or Mode and
Pearson correlation coefficient are the statistical
tools to be utilized for the analysis. For Likert-scale In addition, prior to the data collection, ethical
type questionnaire, median or mode will be used considerations will be upheld through consent
to describe and analyze the level of political forms and approval letters.
awareness and voting preferences of first-time SK
voters. While for the measurement of the strength
of the linear relationship between the variables,
Pearson correlation coefficient is more suitable.

Whenever its time to exercise our right of

suffrage, do the youth really have what it takes
to choose the right leaders? As we all know,
“When one chooses wrong, wrong ones are
chosen. What if one chooses right?”