An Exposition of Youth and Political Participation in Katsina Local Government Through the Lens of Civic Voluntarism Model

The aim of this study is to assess the reasons behind the low interest of youths in political activities in Katsina Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria. The study used the Civic Voluntarism Model to assess what influence, if any, does resources, psychological engagement, and recruitment have on the political participation of youths in the study area. Using a survey method, a sample size of 388 was derived based on the projected population size of 108000. Multiple Regression analysis was employed to test the influence of CVM components on youth’s political participation. Findings showed that recruitment and resources are both significant predictors of youth political participation, with recruitment being the strongest predictor (β = 0.268, p < 0.001). The findings further showed that psychological engagement does not significantly correlate with political participation. In conclusion, the results of this study provide some fascinating insights by affirming that resources and recruitment are pivotal in fostering youth political participation. Therefore government and stakeholders should adopt ways to strengthen grassroots mobilization for youths and also provide vocational training and microfinance programs in order to boost their financial capacity.