New study assesses effect of negative news on voter apathy.

In the scholarly work, the researchers assessed the effect of negative news on voter apathy before proposing key recommendations that, if adopted by political actors, media institutions, and the electorate, could help significantly reduce voter apathy in Cameroon.

The study reveals that negative news has permeated the Cameroonian society, creating a negative spillover effect on election participation. The researchers stressed the study was crucial especially in the run-up to the 2025 Presidential election.

Dating back to the 1997 Presidential election, the study was released at a time when political actors and civil society groups are actively using the media to call for increased voter registration and turnout. 

Anchored on the Agenda Setting Theory, the timely study examined the relationship between negative news and voter apathy in Cameroon.

The researchers observed that negative news is particularly visible in electoral campaigns where parties and officials often resort to "negative campaigning," tarnishing the names of their political opponents through various media outlets.

The study also notes that the decline in voter turnout in previous elections has pushed the country’s electoral body, ELECAM, to adopt new strategies to encourage election participation. 

These, the research holds, include amongst many other strategies, the deployment of ELECAM officials to cosmopolitan areas to educate and register potential voters. 

The research firmly states that the said efforts are yielding results.

The researchers recounted on April 24, 2025, the South West Regional Delegate of ELECAM, Zofoa Njoya, revealed that 408,820 people had so far been registered on the electoral list, a number the study noted is higher than the registration rate at the same time the previous year.

Zoom on key findings

The study surveyed 1,285 respondents in six regional capitals of Cameroon including Buea, Bamenda, Bafoussam, Maroua, Douala and Yaoundé. 

It revealed that most respondents showed significant interest in receiving news updates about electoral activities in Cameroon.

The Researchers said that respondents attested that negative news reports overwhelmingly dominate the Cameroonian media landscape, summing up to 59.8%

Results revealed a positive correlation between exposure to negative news and voter apathy (48.5% of respondents agreed this reflected the overall state of Cameroonian political activities).

Despite a positive correlation, the researchers revealed that other factors like broken or unfulfilled promises by politicians (78%), lack of trust in the electoral institution (70.6%), vote rigging concerns (67.2%), the feeling of detachment from the Cameroonian political system and the absence of strong opposition political parties amongst others are leading causes of voter apathy in Cameroon.

The researchers offered a sobering reminder that bad news has overwhelmingly dominated the Cameroonian media landscape, suggesting that most content across news media in Cameroon is characterised by negative subjects such as conflicts, terrorism, sexual abuse, and natural disasters.

Results also revealed that eligible voters are interested in receiving electoral updates before, during, and after the presidential and other elections.

In a related study, Ngange, Mesumbe, and Ndode (2024) disclosed that out of 376 respondents, 42.8% believed that social media is fervent in disseminating negative news, while 46% attested that conventional media are also prominent in negative news dissemination.

Enter key recommendations

The researchers have put forth several recommendations. The recommendations include pushing for electoral stakeholders and media practitioners to intensify efforts to encourage and educate the public on the importance of voting to enhance voter turnout during electoral periods in the country.

The research advocates that political actors should engage in issue-based debates rather than focusing on controversies and conflicts that further discourage voters’ participation. 

They are also pushing for issue-based debates to enable actors to showcase and explain their plans of action to Cameroonians.

The researchers have proposed that electoral participation is essential for addressing societal problems and selecting the right leaders for the country.

They have advised Cameroonians not to shy away from electoral processes, which could allow any illegality to flourish before, during, and after the elections.

The research work has also solicited that the National Communication Council, NCC and the Ministry of Communication to organize capacity-building sessions on elections reporting. 

The scholars believe the sessions will help journalists – and by extension, political actors, and the public - desist from using the media as battlegrounds for negative news.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3580 of Tuesday September 30, 2025