January 28, 2025
TOKYO – The influence of social media on elections has been attracting attention. Former Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito returned to power in November following an election where he garnered support through social networking sites.
A recent opinion poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun and Waseda University’s Institute for Advanced Social Sciences found that people who frequently use social networking sites and watch videos online were particularly dissatisfied with politics.
GRAPHICS: THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN
Asked about what kind of media they use most often to obtain information about political developments, 6% of respondents chose social media platforms such as X and another 6% chose video-sharing websites such as YouTube. However, of those aged 18 to 39, the figures were 21% and 11%, respectively.
Nearly 90% of both groups of those aged 18 to 39 were dissatisfied with politics.
Regarding specific policies, those who often use social media and video-sharing websites to obtain information on political developments have a greater tendency to prioritize things that would immediately benefit them compared to those who use newspapers and television, according to the survey.
Comments by those who chose social media and video-sharing websites included: “It is better to have a smaller tax burden even if it leads to reduced government services” and “the interests of Japan should be prioritized over international cooperation.”
Asked how often they watched short videos related to political parties and candidates on YouTube, TikTok and other platforms during last year’s House of Representatives election, 57% of respondents said they either never or only rarely watched them. Another 20% said they frequently or somewhat frequently watched them, while 22% said they do not watch short videos in general.
Those aged 18 to 39 watched short videos most, with 33% of them having answered they frequently or somewhat frequently watched them.
The percentage of people who said they voted for the Democratic Party for the People in the election’s proportional representation segment was 21% among the respondents who either frequently or somewhat frequently watched such short videos, significantly higher than 12% who never or only rarely watched them.
The DPFP has always had strong support among the younger generation. But even among the youth, the party was conspicuously favored by those who watched short videos. Among those aged 18 to 39 who said they voted for the party, the proportion of those who had frequently or somewhat frequently watched such videos was about 30%, higher than the around 20% who never or only rarely watched them.
The same trend was seen among those who voted for Reiwa Shinsengumi.
Arata Yamazaki, a guest researcher specializing in political psychology at Waseda University, said the simple messages of the DPFP and Reiwa Shinsengumi were well received by those who interacted with social media platforms and short videos during the lower house election. The DPFP called for an increase in after-tax income, while Reiwa Shinsengumi called for the consumption tax to be abolished.
However, Yamazaki, also a lecturer at Musashino University, said, “It is difficult to say that the information that greatly simplifies policies seen on social media is sufficient for choosing who to vote for.
“In order to choose a political party or candidate that will realize the policies they want, voters need to pay attention to how they gather information.”