Swing voters in the 2020 general election are those who voted for a different party instead of the one they voted for in 2015.
More swing voters went for the opposition in GE2020
In a virtual forum held by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) on Thursday (Oct. 8), findings of an IPS Post-Election Survey were revealed and discussed.
It was discovered that a large percentage of swing voters had voted for the opposition in GE2020.
This was the reverse of that in GE2015.
Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Zhang Weiyu, explained that the GE2020 swing voters mostly wanted alternative views in Parliament.
Surprisingly, the use of mass and social media, which played an important role in GE2020, did not influence the swing voters.
But using online versions of newspapers, radio, and television made people less likely to swing, said Zhang.
It was also found that the swing voters did not differ from non-swing voters in most demographics.
However, those who swung from the People's Action Party (PAP) to the opposition were more likely to be male, a drastic change from 2015.
PAP -> Opposition
The swing voters who ended up voting for the opposition in GE2020 were found to be politically active and preferred alternative views.
They were least concerned about the quality of candidates, party's track record, and management of Covid-19.
Instead, they were most concerned about having different voices in Parliament.
They were also less satisfied and more emotionally negative than non-swing voters.
Compared to the others, these swing voters had signed a petition within the last six months the most.
They also attended the Workers' Party (WP)'s e-rallies the most, and trusted mass media e.g. newspapers and radio the least.
Opposition -> PAP
On the other hand, the swing voters who voted for PAP in GE2020 were found to be politically uninterested and inactive.
They were least interested in elections and attended e-rallies the least.
Additionally, they were most concerned about the quality of candidates.
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Top photo © Lim Wei Xiang for Mothership.