KUALA LUMPUR: A surprising majority of Malaysian youth is uncertain of which political party they are aligned with, and which party they think would be most capable of developing and improving the nation.
In a recent national survey conducted by Kajidata Research, it was found that out of 1,000 young respondents, a staggering 51.8 per cent are undecided on the political party closest to their hearts.
Meanwhile, 23.5 per cent of respondents said they relate best with Barisan Nasional (BN), while Pakatan Harapan (Pakatan) was close behind at 18.2 per cent.
Pas was young people’s least favourite political party, garnering the support of only 6.5 per cent of respondents.
Most notably, the Islamic party was the least favourite among Malay Muslim youths.
Respondents were also asked to predict which party they think will win in the upcoming general election.
A majority (56 per cent) said they were unsure; 24.9 per cent said BN; 12.4 per cent chose Pakatan; while just 6.5 per cent selected Pas.
Kajidata advisor, Professor Datuk Seri Dr Syed Arabi Idid, said even though most youth are politically aware, they are still not politically savvy.
“This was revealed when the majority of respondents stated that they were unsure when questioned about political parties and issues.
“Furthermore, this sentiment is shared by all ethnicities in the country. As such, this pattern should (be seriously looked at) by all political parties, as this is a large (segment of the population) that is politically eager and impressionable, but have yet to decide on which party they identify with most,” he said.
He added that ignoring the responses could mean a loss of a large portion of potential voters for political parties.
The opinion poll carried out by the market research company specialising in public, commercial and socio-political intelligence, surveyed young adults aged 21 to 35.
The respondents comprised 58.1 per cent Malays, 20 per cent Chinese, 9.5 per cent Indians, 8.0 per cent Sabah Bumiputera, 3.3 per cent Sarawak Bumiputera, 0.3 per cent Orang Asli and 0.8 per cent “others.”