MANILA (UPDATE) - Youth voters choose candidates based on personality rather than ideology, and issues such as political dynasty are not really that important to them.

These are some of the findings from Pinoy Youth Barometer’s March 2013 mock polls, a joint project of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center and the United Nations Children’s Fund-Philippines.

The study found that 37% of the participants in the mock polls chose candidates based on personalities.

Around 28% selected candidates based on the candidates’ television advertisements, while 25% voted based on the candidates’ last name.

Only 2% of participants voted for candidates based on platform.

Of those who voted based on platform, they chose education, reform, and economy as reasons for their choices.

ENDORSEMENTS USELESS?

Endorsements also don’t actually matter to the youth. Only 3% were affected by endorsers, the barometer said.

Based on influencing factors, the top ten senatorial candidates in the mock polls are:

Francis “Chiz” Escudero,

Alan Peter Cayetano,

Loren Legarda,

Edgardo “Sonny” Angara,

Richard “Dick” Gordon,

Benigno “Bam” Aquino,

Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri,

Juan Ponce “Jack” Enrile,

Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes, and,

Nancy Binay.

The next five (11th to 15th) are:

Joseph Victor “JV” Estrada,

Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay,

Risa Hontiveros,

Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, and

Jamby Madrigal.

Some candidates who have placed in the pre-election surveys of Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia are absent in this particular mock polls. They are: Cynthia Villar, Grace Poe-Llamanzares, and Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan.

Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center Executive Director Ronald U. Mendoza and AIM Policy Center Senior Economist David Barua Yap said the project was implemented in 10 schools and involved 2,000 college students across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

“While the results were generated from a sample that may not be representative of the entire population of the Filipino youth, the implications of these results warrant careful consideration,” Mendoza said

“There is a need to redouble efforts to engage the youth in ways that increase their appreciation of their role in promoting and sustaining reforms. The manner in which they choose their leaders will influence the kinds of opportunities and outcomes that would be available to them now and in the future,” he said.

He said the youth vote can help turn the tide and shift the electorate’s attitudes.

AIM said young people aged 15-29 account for 40% of the total voting population. At about 15 million and growing, it is the largest potential voting constituency in the Philippines.

“The collective votes of the Filipino youth would be more than enough to send a leader to the Senate or Malacañang Palace,” Mendoza said.

PERSONALITY-ORIENTED

Yap explained the mock ballot was in a matrix form. The students were asked to choose the candidate and then select the primary reason for voting for him or her.

He said: “I devised the PERSONALITY option as a catch-all option. It refers to the different aspects of the personality of the candidate, including (but not limited to) his or her appearance and character traits.”

He said this is to determine if the young voter ascribes to the “appeal” of the candidate relative to his or her platform.

Yap also explained that the “personality” option is distinct from the “last name” option. “I devised the LAST NAME option to determine if students ascribe a lot of value to the last name or lineage of a candidate (relative, again, to a candidate's platform).”