RESEARCH OF POLITICAL APATHY IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA - IMPLICATIONS FOR POLITICAL MARKETING

Political apathy represents the general disinterest and indifference of citizens towards politics, low levels of participation in political activities, and low turnout. The research conducted in the five Slavonian counties in the Republic of Croatia showed a low level of participation in conventional and unconventional political activities, i.e. a high level of political apathy. The research was conducted in 2017, using an in-person survey method on a sample of 662 respondents. The results of the analysis of differences (ANOVA and T-test) showed that men and respondents with above-average income have a greater tendency to participate in both conventional and unconventional political activities. When it comes to unconventional political activities, a higher tendency to participate was expressed by higher educated respondents as opposed to lower educated citizens. Cluster analysis has described some segments of the voters according to their degree of involvement in political activity, and the results indicated that more than half of the respondents (51.2%) belong to the segment of apathetic citizens. This segment mainly consists of women and respondents with under average income, characterized by high rates of political cynicism, low levels of interest in politics and perceived knowledge of politics. The results of this research contribute to the theory and practice of political marketing in the Republic of Croatia. By determining the level of political apathy and the characteristics of specific target groups, political parties can determine the direction and ways of acting on a particular target group in order to increase the number of voters and to reduce political apathy as a social problem. The most significant limitation of the research is the non-representative sample given that the survey was conducted in only one region of the Republic of Croatia. To obtain a complete picture and to identify possible regional differences, research should be carried out throughout the Republic of Croatia. Future research should also focus on a detailed analysis of influential factors of political apathy. By testing the strength and direction of some influential factors on political apathy, it would be useful to know how to influence those factors in order to reduce political apathy.