LAHORE: A research conducted by Punjab University Institute of Applied Psychology reveals that most of voters don’t attach any importance to gender, caste and ethnic background of the candidates contesting the 2018 elections.

However, the voters want to vote those candidates who have humanity, sound educational background and vision for development.

PU Institute of Applied Psychology’s students conducted the research under the supervision of Assistant Professor Dr Mujeeba to understand those psychosocial factors which affect voters and their [voting] decisions.

Results of one study are based on samples of 250 literate male and female voters of 24 years of age in Lahore.

Dr Mujeeba says it is important to understand whether young adults in the city are actively engaged in political activities or not.

She says results of the third and last study based on samples of 200 young men and women of 26 years of age suggest that the participants mistrust political parties and don’t want to show their affiliation. It further suggests that they are involved in online political activities as compared to those who are affiliated with some party.

The results also show that the young voters don’t participate in any political activity and are not interested in casting their votes too.

In another study, the focus is on transgender persons who are also looking forward to vote. By applying strategy of taking individual interviews from 10 trans persons in Lahore, most of them state that they will like to cast vote to the candidate who will not only be wise and man of his word but also educated, honest and mature politician.

They will support a representative, regardless of gender, whose manifesto clearly focuses on provision of job opportunities for the transgender persons as their community doesn’t like begging and dancing as profession anymore.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2018