POLITICAL POPULARITY OF THE PALANG PRACHARATH PARTY: A CASE STUDY OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT MAHASARAKHAM UNIVERSITY

Abstract

          This study examines the level of political support for the Palang Pracharath Party among undergraduate students at Mahasarakham University and analyzes variations in political support across gender, age, year of study, and income. It further explores the implications of these patterns for youth political participation in a contemporary democratic context.  A quantitative research design was adopted. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 397 undergraduate students. Descriptive statistics, including percentages, means, and standard deviations, were employed, and inferential analysis was conducted using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).   The findings indicate that overall political support for the Palang Pracharath Party among undergraduate students was moderate (𝑥̄ = 3.00). At the dimensional level, political news consumption demonstrated the highest mean score (𝑥̄ = 3.99), followed by political participation (𝑥̄ = 3.55). In contrast, lower levels of support were observed for political ideology and vision (𝑥̄ = 2.23) and perceptions of party characteristics (𝑥̄ = 2.14). The ANOVA results reveal statistically significant differences in political support by gender and income, while no significant differences were found across age and year of study (p < .05). Overall, the findings suggest that political engagement among university students is influenced by both socio-economic factors and patterns of political information consumption. The study contributes to the literature on youth political behavior by highlighting the role of media exposure in shaping political support within emerging