“What are they up to?”: The pre-election mindset and behavior of young Filipino voters

© 2019 RESTORATIVE JUSTICE FOR ALL. The article examines the young Filipino voters’ pre-election mindsets, and behavior during the campaign period in the Philippines. The study involved young voters at 17 to 25 age bracket. The respondent students (n=1018) came from different higher institutions in the greater Manila region. Data gathering was conducted two months prior to the May 2019 elections. Among others, results reveal that young Filipino voters are likely to show their support to their preferred candidates among their peers and families than in online communities. It further reveals their desire to increase the quality of campaign activities in the country and their preference to candidates who can communicate their platforms and plans for the country through public discussions and debates. While it appears, based on the results, that young voters actively seek political information on the records or history of aspiring public officials, the results also highlight their high voting independence from the recommendations of their families and religious groups. The young voters’ “elastic” voting commitment also is a positive indication of their ability to intelligently discern in the election process. The government must encourage the young’s participation in these democratic practices in the manner that makes an intelligently informed choice possible

“Shookt by COVID-19”: The pandemic as lived experience among young people under virus-induced lockdown in the Philippines

The article aims to describe the pandemic experience from the vantage point of the youth. We wish to uncover the thoughts, feelings, and attitudes of the youth while being under the virus-induced lockdown and examine how the whole experience shapes the way they look at the crisis. Our subjects were students of non-health related courses studying in the National Capital Region, Philippines. Findings drawn from 29 written interview participants, whose data were obtained through the internet, reveal that the pandemic is predominantly seen as a disappointing and anxiety-inducing experience. The results also indicate how the pandemic challenged the young people’s indifference towards public health prior to the pandemic. Moreover, the magnitude of the crisis stirred them to view the pandemic as something more than just strictly a medical issue. Largely dissatisfied in the way the crisis is being handled, our participants acknowledged that the disease has a socio-political dimension requiring meaningful political solutions. The youth participants remained cognizant of the indispensable part of political actors and institutions in the fight against the disease while not excusing themselves of their very own vital role. Our study suggests that, within the context of a highly concerning pandemic experience, the youth are able to engage critically in our quest to end the crisis. © RJ4All 2020