From Belief to Action: Political Efficacy as Predictor of Social Media Political Participation Among Students

The impressive rise of social media has made political participation through digitally networked avenues more prevalent. In exploring universities and youth political engagement, it can be concluded that the youth have started to create a voice and began participating in politics in ways they know. Using explanatory sequential mixed method, this study investigated the level of political efficacy (PE) and the extent of social media political participation (SMPP) of student voters. It also determined the relationship between PE and SMPP. This is to examine how their PE plays a role in better understanding their participatory habits and conclude an explanation in the youth’s political engagement through the platform. The study has determined that there is a moderate positive relationship between the overall level of PE and overall extent of SMPP among student voters. Based on the findings, it is recommended to promote strategies that enhance student’s PE and SMPP in order to cultivate well-informed individuals who are equipped to express their political views in a healthy and constructive manner.