Undi18 co-founder Tharma Pillai said PH would also need to refine its narrative for the youth and “capture their imagination”.

“Many Malay youth may seem to favour Perikatan Nasional (PN) now, but this isn’t set in stone.

“Their support can waver because they are not loyal to a single political party,” he told FMT.

Tharma was commenting on the results of the recent by-election in Kuala Kubu Baharu, where a majority of voters below the age of 40 backed the opposition.

“If in the next few months or years, the Madani government can exhibit good governance and improve their communication, there’s a huge chance that the youth will back PH next time,” Tharma said.

He noted that six months before the 15th general election, PN had ranked last in a survey. Later, however, its popularity surged.

“Why did PN’s popularity skyrocket? For the youth, it had nothing to do with religious issues or the conservative ideology championed by PN. It was the narrative their leaders pushed on TikTok.”

Tharma said PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin had beat his Barisan Nasional and PH counterparts, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Anwar Ibrahim, in terms of connecting with the youth, which he attributed to the former prime minister’s leadership style.

However, Tharma said PN could not boast of its popularity among young voters as this was also aided by demographic factors of ethnicity.

“After implementing Undi18, the percentage of Malay voters increased from 36% to 45% while non-Malay votes decreased from 45% to 35%,” he said.

The Darul Ehsan Institute concluded yesterday that PH’s success in retaining the Kuala Kubu Baharu seat was largely due to support from voters aged 41 and above.

It said PN remained the preferred choice for voters aged 40 and below despite a turnout rate of only about 57% for this group.