Public Perception of Peace Campaigns Prior to the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections: A Survey of Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

Abstract

This research employs the use of survey to investigates the perception of students of the K wame Nkrumah university of science and technology (KNUST) on peace campaigns during the 2016 presidential and parliamentary election by looking at : 1) how the public perceived peace campaigns prior to the 2016 presidential and parliamentary election, 2) sources of peace . messages, 3 )whether the peace campaigns changed public behavior before, during and after the election and 4 )the effectiveness of the use of images as campaign strategies in the peace messages. The sample of 150 students was selected using the convenient sampling technique. The questionnaires administered showed that majority of the respondents thought the peace campaign was a good initiative and ought to be maintained; majority of the sample received the peace messages from television (27.3%), radio (27.3%) and newspapers (15.7%). While majority constituting fifty (50) respondents (41.3%) believed the peace messages made them avoid violent acts and majority agreed that images were fairly effectively; 34.7% agreed the images used were appealing while 29.7% agreed the images used were relevant to the campaign. However 46.3% of the respondents had no idea what qualified as standard picture qUality. The study shed light on the effectiveness of the messages and medium used in conveying the intended messages so as to be a form of evaluation for those who engaged in the peace campaigning and serve as stepping stone for more effective and efficient work to be done in the near future.