Anthony Chigozie Nwachukwu, *Moniza Waheed, Abdul Mua’ti @ Zamri bin Ahmad, Nurul Ain Mohd Hasan

Abstract:

While political cartoons play a significant role in shaping public perception and opinion, they have been underutilized in addressing social and political issues in Nigeria. Therefore, this study aims to determine the popularity of political cartoons in Nigeria, identify the most prominent frames among the seven generic frames in Nigerian political cartoons and determine the extent to which political cartons shape public attitudes and perceptions. The study employed qualitative content analysis and in-depth interviews that were guided by the agenda-setting and framing theory. The study identified and analysed 100 political cartoons, published in the Guardian and Vanguard newspapers from 2015 to 2019. Subsequently, 29 cartoonists were interviewed and the data were analysed. The results show that political cartoons are less popular with less educated and politically conscious people. However, they are more popular with well-educated people who have knowledge of contemporary issues.

Keywords: Political cartoons, political issues, social issues