The Relationship between Political Image and Voting Behavior in First-time Voters: Demographics of Generation Z Voters in the 2024 Election in Indonesia

Purpose: This research aims to determine the relationship between voting behavior and political image as well as the demographic characteristics of the voting behavior tendencies of Generation Z in the 2024 Election in Indonesia.

Methods: Data collection uses a questionnaire that has good validity and reliability, the questionnaire contains a measurement scale for voting behavior and political image. The measurement of voting behavior variables uses a scale that includes aspects of knowledge, attitudes and actions. Meanwhile, the measurement of the political image variable uses a scale that includes aspects of competence, benevolence, integrity, fairness and reliability. Respondents are given alternative answers to choose one of the four answers provided starting from the options Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Scoring for each answer choice for each variable is 1-4. Apart from that, the questionnaire also contains descriptive questions regarding respondents’ voting tendencies. The number of samples that met the criteria for first-time voter respondents was 453 respondents taken using a purposive sampling technique. The data analysis technique uses the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Test (r) which aims to determine the level of closeness of the relationship between variables which is expressed by the correlation coefficient (r).

Results: The research results show a significant positive correlation between political image and voting behavior. The findings also show that the categorization of respondents’ political image is medium and the categorization of voting behavior is in the high category. The majority of respondents chose candidates based on their track record, ethnicity and religion, having a nationalist and religious image, and looking cool and trendy.

Conclusion: The political image and voting behavior of Generation Z can be concluded to be correlated with each other. This research also shows how the candidate’s political image is desired by first-time voters.