The rhythm of persuasion: Media channels, psychological priming, and voting decisions through political music in Nigeria

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of exposure to political music on voting decisions among Nigerian voters. Data were collected from a multistage sample of 388 participants, and logistic and linear regression models were applied to evaluate the hypotheses. The findings revealed that an individual's overall exposure to political music significantly predicts their likelihood of voting, demonstrating a small positive effect size (Odds Ratio = 1.08). Rather than operating through indirect moderation pathways, exposure media and geographic location emerged as the strongest direct predictors of persuasive influence. Specifically, direct exposure via local radio ( β  = .21) and shared audio files ( β  = .12) significantly predicted a voter's influence score. Furthermore, rural voters reported being significantly more influenced by political music than their urban counterparts, with geographic location operating as the strongest overall direct baseline predictor ( β  = −.48). The study concludes that the psychological effectiveness of political music lies not in generalized, blanket exposure, but in a targeted strategic focus that leverages specific media channels and subcultural demographic segments to maximize persuasive impact on voter behavior.