KUALA LUMPUR: As millions of young voters enter the electorate, a pressing concern is looming over whether these first-time voters are casting informed choices or are navigating without needed knowledge.
Without a clear understanding of policies, institutions, and civic duties, that right risks being exercised without sufficient judgment – something the nation cannot afford, say two academicians and a social issues commentator.
Keluar Sekejap podcast co-host Shahril Hamdan said youth need to have balanced and accurate information.
“What we need is a good civic conversation to ensure our discussions are fact-based and our information universe is as balanced as possible.”
Shahril used to serve as the Economic Director at the Prime Minister’s Office under then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob from October 2021 to November 2022.
He has also previously held the positions of Umno information chief and Umno Youth vice-chief.
According to Shahril, despite significant political changes over the past decade, there remains a gap in the public understanding of fundamental democratic principles.
“Our experience over the past 10 years shows we haven’t really succeeded in communicating some of the most important arguments to the public at large – not just to the youth,” he said.
Shahril proposed a neutral, accessible political education that focuses on the basics of Malaysia’s democratic system.
“Maybe part of the job for individuals and media platforms is to ensure there’s better knowledge about how the Westminster system works, or why certain agency heads need parliamentary approval.”
He was at a book launch at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) yesterday. The book titled Engaging a Generation: Voting Intention and Political Participation Among Malaysian Millennials is penned by Assoc Prof Dr Monna Ong Siew Siew.
TAR UMT Institute for Research Capacity and Publication director Prof Dr Ananda Kumar Palaniappan said Assoc Prof Ong’s study shows that traditional psychological factors alone can no longer fully explain young Malaysians’ voting behaviour.
“The research is grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which looks at three main components – attitude, perceived behavioural control and subjective norms – in shaping a person’s intention to vote,” he said.
“Attitude is what you think about the candidate or party you are voting for. Perceived behavioural control is whether you believe your vote will make a difference. Subjective norms involve the influence of parents, friends, and colleagues.”
However, he noted that these three factors do not fully match current realities.
“Although the number of young voters increased significantly, the number who actually turned out to vote dropped by about 7% from GE14 to GE15. The big question is why, despite Undi18 and automatic registration, turnout was lower?”
Data collected nationwide showed that subjective norms are no longer significant in predicting voting intention.
“Young voters today are no longer just followers.
“They are more independent thinkers, increasingly influenced by technology – social media, AI-driven tools and targeted content,” he said.
Prof Datuk Dr Danny Wong Tze Ken of Universiti Malaya said automatic voter registration and the lowering of the voting age to 18 have brought millions of new voters into the system almost overnight, many of whom remain politically uninformed.
He said that many new voters are just out of school and may lack structured civic grounding.
“Today, civics is no longer there in the same way. So we must ask, do we have sufficient political education when young people turn 18 and are expected to vote?” he said.
Prof Wong noted that many young people turn to digital platforms for information, but political content forms only a small part of what they see.
“This is a different generation. They are critical, they question and they make their own decisions.”
