How the Voting Behaviour of Sri Lankans has been Influenced by the Current Economic Crisis and their Preferred Candidate Characteristics?

The recent economic and political crisis has caused significant hardship for Sri Lankans. People demanded political change through a revolution. Voting is the most common form of political participation worldwide, allowing people to express their preferences and factors influencing voting behaviour change over time, especially during impactful events. To analyse voting behaviour of public with the recent economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka, a combination of crucial factors has been considered in this study. Through snowball sampling method, 418 Sri Lankan voters were taken into a sample. Using a structured questionnaire primary data was collected and used descriptive statistics and multivariate factor analysis for data analysis. The findings revealed the prevailing sense of dissatisfaction among voters on the recently elected candidates (88%), while the level of satisfaction was found to be significantly associated with voters’ previous voting experience. The majority believes that the economic crisis has altered their political thinking pattern (67%), and voters’ primary motive for casting their vote in the next election is to choose a candidate capable of addressing the current economic issues in Sri Lanka. Additionally, factor analysis revealed five key candidate characteristics with variance absorption rate of 67%, namely political allegiance, political face, political competency, political attitudes and behaviour and social services that voters prioritise when voting for a future candidate in an election. Overall, the research findings have practical implications for candidates to create positive impression on voters during their political campaigns and authorities to address the needs of common people