Gender perception regarding impact of religion on voting behaviour in 2018 general elections: a case study of district Dir Upper, Pakistan

Abstract

Religious teachings have significantly shaped the socio-political lives of the people in Dir Upper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Nevertheless, no systematic research study has been carried out to explore this aspect. This study is the first academic attempt to fill the gap by investigating the influence of religion on the voting choice of the research population of the study area, specifically focusing on gender preferences in the 2018 general elections. The study adopts a qualitative method of research using a well-structured questionnaire. As per Krejcie and Morgan formula 1970, the data is collected from 381 participants, including male and female respondents. SPSS is used for the analysis of data. The significance of the results has been determined through the P value and Chi-square tests. To achieve reliable results and a deeper understanding of the phenomenon, the study took guidance from two theoretical models, the Sociological Model or School of Columbia and the Psycho-social Model or School of Michigan, also known as Partisan Identification. The research results prove the significant influence of religion on the voting behaviour of the people of Dir Upper, irrespective of their demographic differences such as gender, age, education, marital status, professional status, monthly income, and residential area.