Religion had minimal impact on voter behaviour in 2024 elections- research – Nsemkeka
A new research study jointly conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) has revealed that religious teachings had little to no influence on the outcome of the 2024 elections.
The study, titled “Stocktaking Ghana’s Democracy: Voter Behaviour and Political Participation“, examined attitudes and behaviours surrounding the 2024 general election. One of its key objectives was to assess the extent to which religious identity and belief shaped voting decisions.
According to the findings, an overwhelming 62.2 percent of respondents indicated that religious teachings did not affect their political views at all. And only 16.7 percent said religion affected their political stance somewhat, while 15.3 percent admitted that it influenced them a little.
Only a marginal 5.7 percent reported that religion strongly impacted their political views.
These statistics challenge long-held assumptions that religious leaders or doctrinal messages might play a decisive role in shaping electoral choices. Rather, the results suggest that while Ghana remains a deeply religious society, voters are more likely to separate faith from politics when casting their ballots.
According to the study, the evolving nature of Ghana’s democratic engagement, especially in a landscape where religious figures are often vocal on national issues. By distancing their political decisions from religious influence, many Ghanaians appear to be embracing a more issue-based and independent approach to democratic participation.