Factors Affecting Youth Political Participation: A Case Study of Youth in Mueang Phang Nga District, Phang Nga Province

Abstract

          The purposes of this research article are to study the political participation behavior of the youth in Mueang Phang Nga district, Phang Nga province, and the factors affecting the political participation behavior of youth in Mueang Phang Nga district, Phang Nga province. The population and sample included youth from Dibuk Phang Nga Wittayayon School and Phang Nga Satri School under the Secondary Educational Service Area Office 14: High school levels (the 4th year high school students, 5th year high school students, and 6th year high school students, semester 2, academic year 2023.  Totally, there were 2,117 people, obtained from quota sampling (Quota Sampling), equal for each grade level. The number of students at each grade level was 102, with a total of 306 youth in the sample. The tools used in the study were questionnaires. Data were analyzed by finding frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (One way ANOVA), and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient.  The results of the research showed that 1) the levels of political participation behavior patterns of youth in Mueang Phang Nga district, Phang Nga province were at the low. 2) Factors for youth political socialization included experiences in public service activities, their family interest in politics, and political and administrative knowledge of Thailand. There was a positive effect on the political participation behavior of youth in Mueang Phang Nga district, Phang Nga province, with statistical significance at the 0.05 level in line with the hypothesis.