SOCIAL media emerged as the primary choice of news and information for Malay voters in the recently concluded 14th general election, a survey has found.

The findings by Ilham Centre will further make platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, the key battleground to win over Malays in the “new Malaysia”.

The survey commissioned by The Malaysian Insight found that 36% of about 1,600 Malay respondents chose social media as their main source of information.

Private messaging service WhatsApp was the most popular application among social media platforms, the pollster said.

Traditional media, however, still played a big role as a quarter or 25% of those surveyed said they relied on television as their source of news.

Of all television networks, Media Prima Television Networks, owned by Umno-controlled Media Prima Bhd, was the most dominant, commanding 40% of all local audiences.

Media Prima’s Bahasa Malaysia TV3 has long been vilified by Pakatan Harapan, when it was in the opposition, for its Umno-centric coverage of politics before the May 9 general election.  

Internet news portals were the choice for 16% of respondents while 13% of those surveyed relied on their “friends”.

Newspapers, which have faced dropping readership, came in last at 10%.

The study involved 1,622 respondents aged above 21. About 16% were between 21 and 29, 30-39 (19%), 40-49 (28%), 50-59 (21%), while only 14% were above 60.

Men made up 51% of the respondents.

More than half the respondents were in the northern states, Selangor and the Federal Territories. The majority live in cities (66%) and the rest in the suburbs (19%) and rural areas (15%).

Most of the 1,622 respondents are farmers, fishermen or worked in the kampung (21%), businessmen (21%) and government employees (16%). More than half the respondents are in the B40 group (52%) while 31% are in M40 and 17%, T20.

The study was conducted via questionnaires and in-depth interviews from June 1 until July 30. –  August 15, 2018.