FEU FERN (FEU DILIMAN) COLLEGE

Sampaguita Avenue, Mapayapa Village Diliman, Quezon City 1101. Philippines

A Study on the Participation of FEU - Diliman

students in the Upcoming 2016 Presidential
Election

A Research Paper Submitted to:

Professor Aleli V. Dorado

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement of the Course in Technical and Business Writing

Submitted by:

Ecraela, Marlon
Aharijan, Naima
Halog, Marife
Rodriguez, Paulo

April 2016
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 Research Objectives, Data Gathering Procedures and Research Instruments

LIST OF GRAPHS

Graph 1: Distribution of Respondents Based on Gender

Graph 2: Distribution of Respondents Based on Age

Graph 3: Distribution of Respondents Based on Their Age When They Registered for
Election

Graph 4: Distribution of Respondents Based on Their Decision to Participate in the

Election

Graph 5: Distribution of Respondents Based on Whether They Already Have a Candidate

to Vote for.
Graph 6: Distribution of Respondents Based on their Knowledge About the Candidates

Graph 7: Distribution of Respondents Based on Their Certainty About Their Candidate

Graph 8: Distribution of Respondents Based on the Usefulness of Social Medias to

Candidates

Graph 9: Distribution of Respondents Based on Whether They Believe in What They Read
in Social Medias

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 Table of Contents

UNIT I: INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1: Background of the Study 4

Chapter 2: Research Problem and Objectives 5

Statement of the Problem 5
Objective of the Study 5
Scope and Limitations 5
Significance of the Study 6
Operational Definition of Terms 6

Chapter 3 Review of Related Literature 7

UNIT II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Chapter 4: Research Design 8

Type of Research 8
Research Instrument 8
Data Gathering Procedure 8
Sampling Design 8
Participants and Respondents 9

UNIT III: DATA ANALYSIS

Chapter 5: Research Findings 10

Conclusion and Recommendations 15

APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: BIBILIOGRAPHY 17
APPENDIX B: Survey Questionnaire 18

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 Unit I: INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1
Background of the Study

High voter turnout in an election is considered to be the measure of a successful

election. It is through the election that we, Filipinos, decide who will lead the country for the
next years to come. The researchers believe that the youths, students and young professionals,
participation in the upcoming 2016 National Election will be as important as high voter turnout.
Concurrently as the Philippines National hero, Dr. Jose Rizal once said, the youth is our future.
This relates to the fact that the youth of today is faced with the daunting task of holding the
countrys well-being and future in their hands. This will be further demonstrated in the
upcoming 2016 Presidential Elections because majority of the registered voters were from the
youth and young professionals sectors combined.

With todays current technological advances, the youth are well equipped in deciding
which candidate to vote for evidenced by the availability of background references at which are
easily accessible in just a click of a button. Voters, especially the youth, are expected have a
huge impact in the voter turnout in this upcoming election. The emergence and popularity of
social media will definitely affect a voters perception towards a candidate. It will surely be used
by the candidates for the election as a new platform for their campaign. The Social media allows
them to also view the comments that others their age may have regarding the candidates. This
in turn will either make student voters well informed or misinformed about a particular
candidate.

Todays youth, and all other citizen, does not know how much power they hold over the
future of the Philippines. Every vote counts because a deciding vote of one will make a
difference. It is important that the students take the election seriously because this for all we
know will surely affect the direction where our country is heading for the next six years. It is true
that an educated vote is the first step in electing the best suitable candidate to run the country.

Students voter turnout will illustrate how actively the youth participated in this
democratic process. Students participation in the upcoming election will be an indicator of how
they perceive the future of our country. This will serve as their voice about their readiness, their
awareness, and most importantly their involvement in the upcoming 2016 Presidential Election.

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 Chapter 2
Research Problem and Objectives

Statement of the Problem

The current statistics on the demographics of the registered voters in the
Philippines suggests that the majority of the voters will come from the youth sector aged 18-24
years old. Young voters participation can make a difference. There is a need to identify the
students perception about the upcoming election. This will serve as an indicator of what we
will expect on their participation come May 2016.
The researchers would like to answer the following questions:
Will the students actively participate in Government elections?
How ready are the students of FEU Diliman for the upcoming 2016 Presidential
Election?
Are the students well informed about the elections?
Are the students well informed about the different Candidates?
How much information do students get from social media about the election?

Objectives of the Study

To determine the level of participation of students in the upcoming election.

To know the readiness of the student in participating for the election.
To determine students election knowledge.
To identify the students awareness on the different candidates running for election.
To determine the impact of Social Media on the election and students perception about
the election and the candidates.

Scope and Limitations

The research study will be focusing on the level of involvement of the FEU Diliman
students in the upcoming 2016 Philippine Presidential Election. The research study will be
conducted in reference to the Philippine Presidential Election that will be held on May 9, 2016.
Students of the collegiate department of FEU Diliman will only be the respondents of
the study.

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Significance of the Study

The researchers believes that the data gathered from the findings of the study would be
beneficial to the following parties:

To the students. The result of the study is expected to expand the knowledge and awareness of
the students with regards to the active participation and involvement in the electoral process of
the country.

To schools. Findings should give the school information about the current level of their students
and the youths participation in the electoral process in the country.

To the other Researchers. The output of the research can serve as a model for other researchers
as a reference for future related studies in the field of social sciences, political science,
governmental researches, which is aimed into determining the level of participation of the
youth in the practicing their democratic right to vote.

Definition of Terms
For clearer understanding of the terms used in this study, below are their meanings:

Election Refers to the process of electing future leaders of the country.

Presidential Election Refers to the election held every sixth year of the incumbent
president.
Youth Refers to people belonging to the ages 18-24.
Social Media Internet based website or application that allows users to create,
share, and exchange information. Facebook, twitter, and instagram are some examples
of social medias that are popular to the youth today.

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 Chapter 3
Review on Related Literature

The Philippine 1987 Constitution guarantees all of the citizens of the Philippines the
right to suffrage. Citizens aged 18 years old and above are eligible to this right to suffrage.
Article V Section 1 of our constitution states, Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the
Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who are at least eighteen years of age, and who
shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one year, and in the place wherein they propose
to vote, for at least six months immediately preceding the election. No literacy, property, or
other substantive requirement shall be imposed on the exercise of suffrage. Lazo (2006)

Current data on the population of the Philippines shows that almost 64 Million Filipinos
are within the age of 15 65. A huge part of this age demographics came from Filipinos whose
age is between 18 25 years old. Youth vote will surely be felt in the upcoming 2016
Presidential Election. Theres a big possibility that the youths vote will influence and change the
direction of our countrys future through their voting power.

There have been a lot of studies which focuses on the importance of youths active
participation in the electoral process in a country has been performed all over the world. Most
of the results acknowledge the role of youths in the countrys wellbeing. In Cambodia, based on
the their Committee for Free and Fair Elections, in 2005, youths in Cambodia made up more
than 30%, equal to over four million, of Cambodias population of approximately 14 million. This
estimate refers to those reaching the eligibility age for voting (over 1.7 million) to those of
around 30 years old. Since 2005, the amount of youths under 30 years old has increased by an
average of 200,000-300,000 per year. Although there is high number of youth voters in
Cambodia, youth vote turnout is surprisingly low. According to Meul (2007), in the election in
2005, youth vote turnout is low and what surprises him and puzzled him more is that the youth
voters and students from the Universities and Colleges all around their country are the ones
who have not been actively participative in the election. Meul (2007) further explains that one
of the reason of the decline in the students active participation in the democratic process of the
country is the disappearance and the decrease of discussion of political issues in the school and
the focusing more to discussions about Sciences and Technological Advancement at most of the
University in Cambodia.

With the current technological advancement, one of the tools that the government
utilizes is the Social Media to encourage the youth to actively support and join in the current
political issues in the country. According to Jenkins (2004), Social Media is an effective way to
encourage youths to participate and support all political and social issues of today. Studies have
shown that political, social, and even religious forums teach and inform youth to even give
importance to democracy and to become a better citizen. (Henry Jenskins, Democracy and New
Media, 2004).

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 UNIT II

Chapter 4

Research Methodology

Research Design

The research is a descriptive research that is conducted through date observation,

information gathering, survey, and analysis. The researchers an intensive survey about the
students participation in the upcoming election. Tertiary students of FEU Diliman who were a
registered voter are the sole respondents for the survey.

Type of Research

This study will be selective and descriptive. The subjects of the researchers are chosen
based on their age and eligibility to participate in the election. This study is also quantitative; the
data gathered will be for the purpose of delivering a more elaborate presentation of data to be
used in the conclusion and recommendation.

Research Instrument

The researchers used a survey questionnaire distributed within the FEU Diliman
community. Date observation was used by the researchers as to whether a student is a
registered voter or not. These instruments were used because the researchers believe that
survey questionnaires and observation is the best tool to gather relevant first-hand information
from the population.

Data Gathering Procedure

In fulfilling the collection of data and the analysis of it, the researchers will go through
different procedures. Those procedures are: 1) Internet research pertaining to youths
participation in election and its brief background; 2) Construction of a questionnaire specifically
answerable by the respondents; 3) Collection of data from the students of FEU Diliman; 4)
Making of necessary arrangement of data and also, interpreting it; and lastly, 5) Presentation of
data.

Sampling Design
The researchers used random sampling method in determining the population of their
respondents. The only consideration that were used is that the respondent must be a student of
FEU Diliman and is a registered voter. The research study has a population of 50 randomly
selected students. The researchers distributed questionnaires to 25 students and another 25
questionnaire is posted online for the respondents to answer. Answers on the questionnaire and
the online survey were consolidated and interpreted.

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Participants and Respondents
Participants in the study were the students of FEU Diliman. The population was solely
focused on the students currently enrolled for the Third Trimester of the Academic Year 2015-
2016. The respondents were selected randomly and were asked to answer questions regarding
their current and future participation in the election. The randomly selected 50 respondents
were all registered voters in the Philippines.

Table 1.1 Research Objectives, Data Gathering Procedures and Research Instruments
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES DATA GATHERING PROCEDURES RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

To determine the level of

participation of students in Internet Research and Survey Survey Questionnaire
the upcoming election.

To know the readiness of the

student in participating for Survey Survey Questionnaire
the election.

To determine students
election knowledge. Survey Survey Questionnaire

To identify the students

awareness on the different
candidates running for Survey Survey Questionnaire
election.

To determine the impact of

Social Media on the election
and students perception Survey Survey Questionnaire
about the election and the
candidates.

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 Chapter 5

Analysis, Conclusion and Recommendation

Research Findings

Graph 1

Distribution of Respondents based on Gender

Male Female

59%

41%

The graph shows the distribution of the respondents based on their gender. In the data
gathered out of 50 respondents, 29 (59%) were female and 20 (41%) were male.

Graph 2

Distribution of Respondents based on Age

18
32% 26%
19
20
24%
18%
21 up

16 (32%) in our 50 respondents were 21 years old and above. 9 (18%) in our
respondents were 20 years old. 12 (24%) of our respondents were 19 years old and 13 (26%)
were 18 years old. This distribution shows that the respondents were all eligible to vote in the
election.

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 Graph 3

Distribution of Respondents Based on Their Age When They Registered for Election

5%

11% 18
19
24% 20
60%
21 above

The graph shows that 30 (60%) of the population registered for election when they were
18 years old. The distribution shows that most of the respondents were aware that at the age of
maturity (18 years old) based on our constitution they a citizen is already eligible to vote.

Graph 4

Distribution of Respondents Based on Their Decision to Participate in the Election

27% Yes
41%
No
Maybe
32%

The graph shows that 41% or 21 respondents will be participating in the upcoming
election by casting their votes. On the other hand, 14 respondents (27%) will not be exercising
their right to suffrage and 32% or 15 respondents may or may not be voting this coming
election.

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 Graph 5

Distribution of Respondents Based on Whether They Already Have a Candidate to Vote for.

Yes
38%
50% None
Not sure
12%

The graph shows that 50% of the respondents have already made up their minds who
they think theyll be voting for in the upcoming election. 38% of the respondents are still
considering other candidates while 12% of the populations are still undecided.

Graph 6

Distribution of Respondents Based on their Knowledge About the Candidates

Yes
39% 39%
No
I'm not sure yet

The graph shows that those who answered Yes to Question number 5 on whether they
already have decided who to vote for answered and that 39% of them admitted to not having
enough knowledge about their candidates and another 39% of the population confidently
answered that they have enough knowledge about the candidate theyll be voting for. 22% of
the population still are not sure yet.

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 Graph 7

Distribution of Respondents Based on Their Certainty About Their Candidate

18% Yes
29%
No
53% I'm not sure yet

The graph shows that 53% of those who answered yes to having enough knowledge
with their candidate can still change their minds and still uncertain. Only 18% of the
respondents were already sure and most likely will not be changing their minds in voting for
their candidates. A handful 29% of the respondents may or may not change their minds in voting
for their candidates.

Graph 8

Distribution of Respondents Based on the Usefulness of Social Medias to Candidates

27%
Yes
50% No
Maybe
23%

The data distribution shows that 50% of the respondents think that social media may or
may not be very useful to the candidate as a new form of campaigning. 27% of the respondents
think that the social media can be a new platform for candidates to campaign into while 23% of
the respondents think it is not useful for their campaign at all.

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 Graph 9

Distribution of Respondents Based on Whether They Believe in What They Read in Social
Medias

10%
24%
Yes
No
Maybe

66%

The graph shows the distribution of the respondents on the question on whether they
believe everything theyve read in social media or not. Majority of the respondents answered
no. 66% of the population do not believe in everything they read in social media. 10% says they
believe in it and 24% may or may not believe depending on where the source came from.

Analysis

This study aimed to determine the students of FEU Dilimans participation in the
upcoming election. The researchers were able to determine the students involvement in the
election using a descriptive analysis of the data gathered through survey. The survey results
were treated and computed using Microsoft Office Excel and are interpreted using charts.

Based on the data gathered, majority of the students will be participating in casting their
votes in the upcoming presidential elections. The students of FEU Diliman are considered to be
active participants in the election. Their involvement in the registration and voting process is
expected to be in good rate. The respondents were all registered voters and majority of them
will be voting in the coming election come May 9, 2016.

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Conclusion and Recommendation

The conclusions are organized according to the arrangement of research objectives:

To determine the level of participation of students in the upcoming election.

Based on the data gathered, the level of participation of the students in the upcoming
election was high and is considered to be active. The students will be actively participating in the
upcoming election. The researchers recommend that the 41% can still be improved by providing
students access to voters education material that will teach them the importance of election in
a country. This will encourage more students to actively participates in the democratic process
of our country.

To know the readiness of the student in participating for the election.

The data gathered suggests that the student who will be voting this upcoming election
were already prepared and ready for the elections. 50% of the respondents have already chosen
which candidate theyll be voting for. The students of FEU Diliman, based on the survey
results, were determined to have chosen the candidates they preferred. The researchers believe
that the readiness of the students in participating in the upcoming election can still be further
improve by giving them sufficient information about the candidates who are aspiring to become
the leaders of the country.

To determine students election knowledge and to identify the students awareness on the
different candidates running for election.

Students election knowledge and awareness were quite low at 39%. The students
responded to the questions about their understanding about the elections and the candidates
who are running in the election. The results suggest that there were only few students who
were fully equipped with the knowledge in the election and the candidates. This should be
improved by providing students access to voters education material that will teach them the
importance of election in a country. This will encourage more students to actively participate in
the democratic process of our country.

To determine the impact of Social Media on the election and students perception about the
election and the candidates.

The respondents do not completely believe that social media would be of great help for
a candidate. Half of the students surveyed say that social media may or may not be very useful
in campaigning. The students believed that social media can do both harm and good to a
candidate. They believe that it is solely dependent on the content of the posts in a social media
and the sources of it that would determine whether an ad campaign may be useful or not. A lot
of students do not believe in everything that they read on social media. The students response

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to the questions of whether they believe what is posted online or not suggests that these
students are wise enough to determine what is true and what is not (hearsay). It is good to
know that the students of FEU Diliman are still able to determine truth and are responsible
Internet user.

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 APPENDIX A
BIBLIOGRAPHY

1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. Art. 1, S. 3

Meul, N. (2007). Participation of Youth in Elections. Committee For Free And Fair Elections
In Cambodia (COMFREL), 2-2. Retrieved on February 26, 2016, from http://aceproject.org/ero-
en/regions/asia/KH/Cambodia-Comfrel_paper.pdf/view

Jenkins, H. (2004). Democracy and New Media. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

Lhrmann, A. (2013). ENHANCING YOUTH POLITICAL PARTICIPATION throughout the

ELECTORAL CYCLE. Retrieved on February 26, 2016, from
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/democratic-
governance/electoral_systemsandprocesses/enhancing-youth-political-participation-
throughout-the-electoral.html

Philippines Population. (n.d.). retrieved on February 26, 2016, from

http://countrymeters.info/en/Philippines

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 APPENDIX B
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

To Our Dear Respondents,

Good day!
We are students of FEU Diliman and is currently taking the course ENG3 whose writing
a research study about The Participation of FEU - Diliman students in the Upcoming 2016
Presidential Election.
In line with this, we have prepared this questionnaire to gather data needed in our
research.
Hence, we sincerely request you to lend some of your time answering the following
questions with honesty and integrity. We guarantee the confidentiality of your answers.
Thank you!
--- The Researchers

Directions: Fill out the appropriate information or data subsequent field. If you have a choice,
check the box that corresponds to your answer.

Name: ________________________________________ Gender: _______ Age:

______
Course and Year: _____________________________

1. Are you a registered voter?

Yes
No

2. How old were you when you registered as a voter?

18
19
20
21-older

3. Will you vote in the 2016 Election?

Yes
No
Maybe

4. Are you ready to participate in the 2016 Election?

Yes

18
 No
Maybe

5. Do you know who among the candidates are you going to vote for?

Yes
No
Im not sure yet

5.1 If yes, is your knowledge about the candidate is enough?

Yes
No
Im not sure yet

5.2 If yes, is your decision already sure?

Yes
No
Im not sure yet

6. In your opinion, is Social Media an effective medium for the candidates to use in
introducing themselves and their plans/programs?

Yes
No
Maybe

7. Will you believe in what youll see/read in the Social Media?

Yes
No
Maybe

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