BJP Influences Voting Decisions For 61% Urban Indians: Report

76 per cent of urban Indians report encountering political advertisements during the 18th General Elections, while 14 per cent claim they have not, according to YouGov Surveys.

Among those who have encountered political ads, 81 per cent recall seeing advertisements from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Approximately 47 per cent have noticed advertisements from the Indian National Congress (INC), while only 12 per cent have seen ads from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Moreover, millennials are more likely than other age groups to recall seeing advertisements from the Congress, with 53 per cent reporting such encounters. YouTube emerges as the most common platform, with 67 per cent of individuals stating they have seen political ads there. Television follows closely behind, with 58 per cent viewership, particularly prominent among millennials (64 per cent) and Baby Boomers (71 per cent).

Instagram ranks as the next favored platform, with 43 per cent of viewership, followed closely by WhatsApp (38 per cent) and Meta (35 per cent). Instagram appears to be a more prevalent platform for political ads among Gen Z (50 per cent).

Meta, on the other hand, seems to be more popular among millennials, with 42 per cent of millennials compared to 29 per cent of Gen Z reporting exposure to political ads on this platform.

Not only are BJP's advertisements the most widely viewed, but 58 per cent of urban Indians also perceive the party's ads as the most creative, in contrast to 28 per cent who hold this view about Congress' ad campaigns and 6 per cent who feel the same about AAP's ads.

When inquired about which party's advertisements resonate with viewers, BJP emerged on top yet again with 60 per cent of respondents expressing this sentiment. Approximately 27 per cent of individuals believe that Congress' ads strike a chord with viewers while for AAP, the number stands at a mere 5 per cent.

Moreover, 61 per cent of urban Indians stated that BJP's ads have influenced their decision to vote for the party or reconsider their choice of voting for another party. Around 27 per cent expressed a similar influence from Congress' ads, with 10 per cent stating the same for AAP.

Millennials exhibit a higher resonance with Congress' ads, with 37 per cent of them expressing a greater likelihood than other generations to have been influenced by the party's ad campaigns to vote for them.