The Influence of Ethnicity on Voter Choice in Ghana

Abstract

Ghana is one country that is noted for its ethnic heterogeneity and remarkable democratic credentials. The country has since 1992 been practicing multi-party democracy and many factors have been identified as influencing the choice of candidates during elections. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the influence ethnicity has on voter choice in Ghana’s current democratic dispensation. A descriptive research design was used along with a mixed method approach. The quantitative section of the study used the data set of a national survey of a sample size of 2000 conducted in 2019 across the then ten regions in Ghana. Thereafter, qualitative data, collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussions involving 50 purposively selected respondents, were used to shed light on the quantitative outcomes. It came out of the study that ethnicity is the main factor that influences voting decisions in Ghana. A suggestion was therefore made to the National Commission for Civic Education to intensify public education on the need to vote on issues that affect economic development rather than ethnicity.