Compass Voting: The Experience of Religious Students during Elections

This study investigated the lived experience of religious college students in voting. The objective was to discover the religious students’ experiences when voting during elections and gather themes based on the experiences. The study was stirred by the lack of qualitative studies on the voting behavior of religious students, specifically, if the behavior is defined by religion, considering that the Filipinos are known to be traditionally religious people, and politics and religion have been heavily intertwined to the point. The line that divides the two is almost indistinguishable. The study’s aim was to discover qualitative themes on religious college students’ voting behavior and lived experiences. It utilized phenomenological, particularly interpretative phenomenology, which aims to assess the respondents’ personal experiences and gives detailed examinations based on their personal experiences. The participants were selected using purposeful sampling, specifically criterion sampling appropriate for a phenomenological study. Data collection was done through in-depth interviews using semi-structured and open-ended questions. Upon reaching data saturation, four common themes emerged which described the lived experience of the voting behavior, and the lived experiences of the respondents during elections, namely, I- Actual Experience of Voting, II- Views of Voting, III- Basis for Choosing a Candidate, IV- Religious Conduct and Belief. The study found out that religious students performed compass voting during elections. This was the behavior of the religious students and lived experiences of the students during elections. The study concluded that though the voting behavior of religious students was not directly defined by their religious practices, the wishes and desires of their affiliations/families influenced their voting behavior and religious beliefs or motives for voting. Albeit, their religious belief, practices, personal wishes and desires, and the influences of people surrounding them, including the influences of mass media and the social, economic, and political issues, acted as reference (compass) when choosing candidates in elections.

Keywords: Voting Behavior, Voting, Religious Students, Religious Conduct, Religion, Phenomenology, compass voting