PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |1

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

The purpose of this chapter is to present the outline of the study. This

comprises the introduction, background of the study, theoretical and conceptual

framework, problem, objectives, hypotheses, limitations, and significance of the

study and lastly, the operational definitions.

Introduction

Family influence plays a vital role in the formation of every youth’s

personality. The development of a child’s attitude, norms, values and standards of

right and wrong are highly influenced by his or her family most especially parents

(Cruz et al, 2011). Communication plays a central role in the family because it

strengthens the bond between family members and helps children in shaping their

personalities (Koerner and Fitzpatrick, 2009). While there are other external factors

that could affect the development of their decision making in life, family always

comes first. The development of a child is heavily influenced by his/her family.

Communication which is a major part of every household can definitely affect a

child’s attitude and disposition in life. Thus, communication within family members

has always been a significant element in child development and growth.

Family members create their social realities through communication

(Fitzpatrick & Ritchie, 1994). As they interact with one another, they develop an

understanding only used among them which they use to interpret messages from
 PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |2

mass media and other sources. This form of communication enhances a child’s

point of view.

According to Koerner and Fitzpatrick (1996), there are four family types:

first, there are consensual families. They are high in communication and conformity

and put emphasis in interdependence and hierarchy but they value open

communication to explore new ideas. Children from these families will most likely

adopt their parent’s beliefs and views. Second, pluralistic families are high in

conversation and low in conformity. They include all family members in their

discussions making their children better decision makers and effective

conversationalists (Koerner and Fitzpatrick, 1996). Third, protective families are low

in conversation and high in conformity. Children from these families obey their

parents and are not used to open communication. The last are the Laissez-Faire

families that are low in conformity and conversational orientation. Members of these

families are not emotionally attached and do not engage in a lot of conversations

with one another (Koerner and Fitzpatrick, 1996). These four family types suggest

that family communication and the children’s behavior are correlated.

As parents prepare their children to be responsible citizens, they educate

them on certain matters they think are valuable and will help them in their transition

to adulthood. As they communicate with their children they build a bond that creates

a connection between them and therefore makes them a figure of authority to their

children.

Suffrage or the right to vote is a responsibility given to the citizens of the

Philippines. Those over the age of eighteen have resided in the country for at least a
 PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |3

year and in the place wherein they intend to vote can exercise their right to suffrage

as stated in The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. Since only

those of legal age can participate, voting is one of those things the youth are not

exposed to and knowledgeable enough about. For those youths joining the

electorate for the first time, choosing a candidate can be a daunting task. Many of

these youths have very limited knowledge on the election process and the political

system as a whole. The majority doesn’t watch the news so they know little about

the candidates.

An individual’s voting behavior can be influenced by several factors such as

his personal characteristics, social environment, and exposure to mass media

(Capadocia et al) but family can also be a major influence (Berelson, Lazarsfeld, &

McPhee, 1968). A national psychographics survey made by Publicus Asia Inc in

2015 shows 86% of the respondents considers the recommendations of their

families among others (2015, The Manila Times). This shows how they value the

opinion of their family members. One possible reason is the lack of interest in

politics among the youth. Instead of finding out the answers to their own questions

themselves, many just rely on the second hand information given by older family

members.

As first time voters began to wonder who to vote for in the election, they turn

to their parents and family members for guidance. Aside from the information they

see on TV and social media they use their own personal judgments to make their

decisions. These personal judgments cultivated in their homes for years are

products of parental influence in their views and beliefs.

 PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |4

Influential role models, according to Bandura (1973), transmit human

behaviors. Parents pass on beliefs, values, traditions and customs to their children.

Political views most importantly are largely discussed in our society making it easier

for young adults to understand what’s going on around them. Sitting down with their

parents to watch the news is one good way for them to discuss politics and

elections. Through this parents will be able to share their views and opinion to their

children.

Relational schemas affects an individual’s processing of information and the

way they gather information as well as their interpersonal behavior (Koerner and

Fitzpatrick, 2009). The influence a parent has to a child manifests in many ways. An

individual’s idea of self-concept and perception of morality can be based on the

standard of which they have a relevant relationship (Baldwin, Carrel & Lopez, 1990).

This is how the Filipino youth value their parent’s opinion. In order to please them

one must act according to their standard. Voting for a political candidate has to

conform to the family’s standard.

Background of the Study

Last May 9th of this year, the Philippines held its 16th presidential election.

Out of 55,735,757 registered voters, 43,716,817 Filipinos exercised their right to

suffrage (COMELEC-GMA Mirror Server, 2016). With a voter turnout of 81.62

percent, this election also had a higher transmission rate compared to past elections

(PhilStar.com, 2016). Filipinos perhaps felt the need to participate and exercise their
 PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |5

right to vote because of the growing discontent felt by the public on the government.

With the youth voters becoming more active participants on issues such as politics

and governance, the youth vote can be a significant factor that will decide who wins

the election. The Commission on Election Chairman Andres Bautista on an interview

with ANC said the youth vote can be a major help on a candidate’s victory.

According to the Commission on Election, youth voters make up 37% of the

electorate (Comelec, 2016). These 20 million voters out of 50 million are from ages

18-35. Majority of these youth voters are joining the electorate for the first time.

While there are a lot of factors that could affect the voting behavior of these

youth voters, family influence plays a vital role in their decision making process

(Manila Times, 2016). The media, their friends and school contributes in shaping

their political identities but family can have the greatest influence (Huffpost, 2012).

According to Capadocia et al (2008), the family greatly affects the youth’s

perceptions about the election.

In the Philippines, a high level of conformity orientation is observed in

families (West, 2010). Conformity orientation put an emphasis on shared set of

attitudes, values and beliefs (Koerner and Fitzpatrick, 1996). They value relationship

with family members and deeply respect their parents. They put high regards to their

parent’s views and opinion. Children were raised in an environment where parental

approval is highly valued (Rodell, 2002). Due to this kind of culture in the

Philippines, the youth are expected to obey or at least ask for their parent’s approval

in making decisions in life.

 PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |6

To conform to their families’ political identification, first time youth voters

normally consider their parent’s ideologies in selecting a candidate. Ideologies and

other subjects regularly discussed in family conversations can have lasting effects

on their attitudes and behaviors. Also a youth’s political participation and

involvement is a result of his or her family’s discussion on politics related topics.

Even their idea of a government depends on how they were taught in school and at

home.

The role family plays in developing a person’s attitudes and values are

significant. A child’s behavior is an effect of his/her parent’s attitude (Grusec and

Danyliuk, 2014). When a child’s at home watching the news with his/her family, the

parents are the first to give comments about the content becoming an opinion leader

to the child. Serious topics like politics are usually discussed at home but there are

varying degrees to which parents encourage their children to participate. Regardless

if the child belongs to a conformist or conversational type of family, communication

is a central aspect of their household.

Theoretical Framework

Family Communication Patterns Theory and Two Step Flow Theory

The primary foundations of this study are the Family Communication

Patterns Theory by Ascan Koerner and Mary Anne Fitzpatrick and the Two Step
Flow Communication Theory of Paul Lazarfeld and Elihu katz.
 PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |7

Family Communication Pattern Theory focuses on the way families

communicate and interact with one another. These patterns were established based

on the methods of how families construct their own social realities. Families utilize

two basic processes in establishing their shared social reality. There are two

dimensions that trigger the communication between family members, conformity

orientation and conversation orientation (McCormack, n.d.)

One of the two dimensions called conversation orientation is the process by

which all family members converse about a certain idea to determine its distinctive

value and attributes. The other dimension, conformity orientation is when a figure of

authority in the family such as the parents defines the family’s social reality. These

two dimensions convey the pattern by which family members communicate and

engage with the world and one another. They are essential in maintaining the

communication between family members, the emotional stability of family

relationships, conflict management and coordination of conduct, among others.

The Two Step Flow Communication Theory was based on a study conducted

in the 1940s. The study was made to gauge the indirect effects of media through

personal influence of opinion leaders. The majority of media consumers get their

share of information from opinion leaders. Thus, they are mostly receivers of

secondhand media content.

 PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |8

High Conversation Orientation

Quadrant II Quadrant I
High Low
Conformity Conformity
Orientation Orientation

Quadrant IV Quadrant III

Low Conversation Orientation

Figure 1. Family Communication Pattern Theory

According to Lazarsfeld and Katz, media content are shared to the masses

through opinion leadership. The opinion leaders are those people with the most

access to media, more literate in understanding its content, and shares and explains

the content to others.

 PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND |9

Figure 2. Two Step Flow Communication Theory

 P R O B L E M A N D I T S B A C K G R O U N D | 10

Conceptual Framework

Applying the concept of Two – Step Flow Theory by Paul Lazarfeld and Elihu Katz

(1995), the theory says that content or information are shared by opinion leadership.

The opinion leaders are those people with the most access to media, more literate in

understanding its content, and shares and explains the content to others. In the

study, the parents are the opinion leaders and the first time youth voters are the

consumers of information.

Also applied in this study is the concept of Family Communication Pattern

Theory by Ascan Koerner and Mary Anne Fitzpatrick (1997), the theory focuses on

the way families communicate and interact with each other. It also emphasizes the

four family types; consensual, pluralistic, protective and Laissez-Faire. The first type

is consensual; these families have high conversation orientation and high conformity

orientation. These types of family collaborate with the ideas of its members and

spontaneously conversational. However, children from these families are expected

to follow the parents’ ways. The second type is pluralistic, these families have high

conversation orientation and low conformity orientation. They value open

communication and also the opinion of the members. Children are involved in all

discourse and decision making. The third type is protective; these families have low

conversation orientation and high conformity orientation. Families with this type of

communication pattern engages few times in communications or encourage children

to express their thoughts. They are usually authoritative and expect children to obey

what they say. The fourth and the last type, Laissez Faire, are those families with

both low conversation orientation and low conformity orientation. There’s seldom

conversation between family members and everyone’s entitled to make their own

decisions.
 P R O B L E M A N D I T S B A C K G R O U N D | 11

High Conversational Orientation

Family members practice open

communication on topics such as politics
and election

Guardian
High
Low Conformity
Conformity
Orientation
Orientation
Parental influence Pluralistic Consensual
Parental
is high on the
Laissez-faire Protective influence is low
voting behavior of
on the voting
the youth
behavior of the

Youth youth

Low Conversational Orientation

Family members do not practice open

communication

Figure 3. Family Communication Patterns of the Voting Preference Among

Filipino Families
 P R O B L E M A N D I T S B A C K G R O U N D | 12

Statement of the Problem

The Filipino people are known for keeping close family ties. They value

relationship with family members and deeply respect their parents. They put high

regards to their parent’s views and opinion. According to Capadocia et al (2008),

“the family has a strong influence on the youth’s perceptions as their child/children

grow up”. In a view of that, the researchers would like to know,

How family communication influences the voting behavior of the first

time Filipino youth voters?

Objectives of the Study

Specifically, the study aims to:

1. To know the demographic profile of the participants in terms of:

1.1 Sex

1.2 Religion

1.3 Income

1.4 Age

2. To know the level of family communication pattern/style of the first time youth voters

to their family members in terms of:

2.1 Conformity Orientation

2.2 Conversational Orientation

 P R O B L E M A N D I T S B A C K G R O U N D | 13

3. To know the level of influence of the family on first time youth voters in terms of

Voting Behavior

4. To test the association of demographic profile of the respondents to their voting

behavior.

Hypothesis

H0: There is no significant relationship between the family communication

patterns against the influence of the family communication to the voting behavior of

the first time youth voters.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study aims to find out if family communication can influence the voting

behaviors of first time youth voters in Manila. The researchers were able to present

the significance of the study to the following individuals

To The Filipino Youth

The study would be beneficial to the Filipino youth for they would know if family

communication can affect their voting behavior. The study will also serve as their

guide on choosing the next leader of the country.

 P R O B L E M A N D I T S B A C K G R O U N D | 14

To The Filipino Families

The study would help Filipino parents in assessing their family communication

practices and in finding out if these can affect the voting behavior of their children.

Also the study would be beneficial to the families in a way that they would be able to

guide their children in choosing the next leaders of this country.

To The Government

The study would provide the government some useful information regarding

communication within the family so they can enhance their programs geared

towards Filipino families and come up with better ideas in the future to further

strengthen the families and help them maintain good communication.

To Communication Students and Professionals

This study would serve as a guide and reference in pursuing studies that are

related to the effects of family communication on political decision making. It would

help them better understand the communication patterns or styles present among

Filipino families. Also, this study would provide them insights on the voting behavior

of the Filipino youth.

To the Future Researchers

This study would serve as a reference in further and/or exploring more topics

such as the effect of family communication on the voting behavior of Filipino youth
 P R O B L E M A N D I T S B A C K G R O U N D | 15

voters. The study would provide them information that could support studies related

to the topic.

Scopes and Limitations of the Study

The limitations of this research include the sample selection and sampling method

that were used by the researchers. First is the area of data collection that sets the

locale of the study.

Only first time youth voters ages 18 - 24 years old residing in one of the five

baranggays (Payatas, Commonwealth, Bagong Silangan, Batasan Hills and Holy

Spirit) in the Second District of Quezon City can participate in the survey.

Another thing that placed restriction to the study is the high level of sensitivity

to the topic of election that made some target respondents uncomfortable in

participating to the study.

Another limitation of this study is the instrument. The instrument does not

include translation in the vernacular which the respondents found hard to

comprehend. The questions on the instrument include the demographic profile of the

respondents, questions about family communication pattern and voting behavior.

Furthermore, the researchers administered face to face survey which they

used survey questionnaire to be one of the parameters of this study. There were

also some none-response errors that placed restriction to the study.

 P R O B L E M A N D I T S B A C K G R O U N D | 16

Lastly, the researchers used purposive sampling in choosing the

respondents. With the use of this sampling method, the researchers set parameters

or criteria that made the sampling process more complex.

Operational Definition

Vote – refers to the official choice of the voters in an election to the candidate of a

particular position in the government.

Behavior – refer to the way of a person’s act on a particular situation.

Voting Behavior - is the understanding of a voter’s conduct that explains how and

why choices were made by the individual who were entitled to vote.

Youth – is the researchers’ target participant that range from 17 to 24 years old for

this study.

First Time Voters – refers to the target participants of the researcher. They are the

newly registered voters who will be casting their votes for the first time on the

upcoming presidential election.

Family – it is the smallest unit of the society. Family plays a vital role in the

formation of every youth’s personality. The development of a child’s attitude, norms,

values and standards of right and wrong are highly influenced by his or her family

most especially parents.

 P R O B L E M A N D I T S B A C K G R O U N D | 17

Communication – is a process in which two or more people create and share

thoughts and ideas as they meet the mutual point of understanding. Communication

plays a central role in the family because it strengthens the bond between family

members and helps the children in shaping their personalities.

Family Communication – refers to the process in which members of the family

create and shares thoughts and ideas as they meet the mutual point of

understanding.

Interaction – refers to the way an individual communicates and interacts with

another individual.

Family interaction – is a chance to preserve, create, and support parent-child

affairs. In addition, family communication is a chance for parents to assess their own

educating abilities and increase understanding of new practices and opinions about

parenting.