MANILA, Philippines - Personalities, advertisements and prominent surnames remain the basis of youth voters in choosing their senatorial candidates, as shown in the recent mock polls conducted by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).
According to the Pinoy Youth Barometer, 37 percent of the participants voted based on the candidates’ personality, 28 percent on television advertisements, while 25 percent voted based on the candidates’ surnames.
Three percent said their votes were influenced by the candidates’ endorsers, while only two percent voted based on platform.
The Pinoy Youth Barometer is designed to collect and analyze the perspectives of the youth on key policy issues such as education, employment, migration, and politics.
It was launched in September 2012 by the AIM Policy Center and United Nations Children’s Fund-Philippines. Re-electionist senators Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano and Loren Legarda topped the mock polls, followed by Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, Richard Gordon, Bam Aquino, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile, Sen. Antonio Trillanes, and Nancy Binay.