DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE’ S POLITICAL ALERTNESS IN DEMOCRACY AFFECTING TO GENERAL ELECTION

Abstract

The objectives of this article were: 1) To study the level of people’s political alertness in democratic system affecting general election, 2) To study factors affecting people’s political alertness and 3) To propose the people’s political alertness. Methodology was the mixed methods: The quantitative research, data were collected with questionnaires from 400 samples from the North, Lampoon Province, Northeast, Central, Rajaburi Province and the South, Suratthani Province. Data were analyzed with frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, simple linear regression and stepwise regression.                The qualitative research, data were collected by in - depth - interviewing 18 key informants who were election committee, politicians, community leaders, monks, academicians and political academicians and analyzed by descriptive interpretation. Findings were that 1) Levels of people’s political alertness consisted of factors affecting the political alertness, Four Rddhippada and people’s political alertness, by overall were at high levels, 2) factors affecting the political alertness and Four Rddhippada had effects on people’s political alertness at the statistically significant level at 0.01 and 3) to propose the development of people’s political alertness with Buddhadhamma integration, that were the political preferences to attend a political speech, try to attend in political participation, awareness of the people to control consciousness in political activities and transparent selected of candidates for election