Abstract:
This research aims to study and compare personal status, sources of election
information, politic participation and people understanding towards the election of the
Municipality Council Members and the Mayer of Rayong Municipality, Rayong Province. With
regard to this election, the samples used in this research were 395 residents residing in this area
divided into four election areas. The population formula was applied (Yamane. 1973 : 1088). The
tool used in this research was the questionnaire divided into four sections. The data was gathered
by the researcher and was analyzed by SPSS for Windows Program. The statistics used for data
analysis were percentage, mean and Standard Deviation (S.D.), for the simple correlation, t-test,
and F-test at the significant level of .05.
It was found from the research that : 1) With regard to the understanding of people in
Rayong Municipality towards the direct election of the Municipality Council Members and the
Mayer, the overall aspect was at the high level (X = 16.59). Considering each item, it was found
that people understanding towards the election of the Municipality Council Members and the
Mayer, in term of the responsibilities of the Mayor and of the Council Members, the
qualifications of the Mayor and of the Council Members and the election preparation, was at the
high level. 2) With regard to the comparison of people understanding in Rayong Municipality
towards the direct election of the Municipality Council Members and the Mayer, it was found that:
People with different genders, occupations, education had different understanding levels towards the
direct election of the Municipality Council Members and the Mayer at the significant level of .05. and
People with different ages levels sources of information had no difference in the understanding level
towards the direct election of the Municipality Council Members and the Mayer.