Özet:

One of the conceptualizations that try to explain the voter behavior, with the individualization element becoming evident in the transforming structure of politics, has been the candidate image. Candidate image has become a concept that gives meaning by embodying the abstract and complex view of the voters' decision-making processes. In this context, the aim of the research is to reveal which factors are affected while creating a candidate image in the minds of voters. The candidate image scale consisting of Media, Communication, Personal Characteristics, Experience, Appearance, Party and Socio-Cultural Characteristics was used in the study carried out with 390 participants in Gaziantep. Among these factors, the factor that voters give the most importance in terms of arithmetic mean value is Personal Traits, which consists of the characteristics of the candidate being honest and reliable, hardworking and sincere. The factor that the participants give the least importance while making a choice in local elections is the factor of Appearance. Perceptions of the factors forming the candidate image in the minds of the voters differ according to their gender, age, education level, income, profession, political position, ideological identity, the party they vote for, the time of voting, the reason for voting, their party affiliation and their level of interest in political issues.

Anahtar Kelimeler: