Political marketing and social media influence on young voters in Ghana

As the political and media landscape becomes more complex, political parties and candidates worldwide are continually exploring new ways and ideas to effectively communicate their messages to their target audience. Throughout the political history of Ghana, the mass media has played an integral role in political marketing successes. However, with the advent of the digital economy, social media platforms have unfolded new possibilities for politicians to engage with citizens. The study examined the extent to which political message dissemination on social media by politicians in Ghana influence young voters’ political knowledge, efficacy, and participation. A quantitative approach was adopted and data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings revealed positive and significant relationships between political message dissemination on social media and political participation, political knowledge, and political efficacy of young voters. Overall, the findings revealed that political participation, especially amongst young voters, could be enhanced through the use of social media. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.