Political Awareness and Engagement in Relation to Voting Behavior among College Students

Understanding how political awareness and engagement shape the voting behavior of young citizens is essential for a thriving democracy. This study explored how political awareness and engagement influence the voting behavior of young citizens, focusing on 110 purposively selected NSTP 2 college students aged 18 to 25 from a private, non-sectarian institution in Ozamiz City, Philippines, all with prior voting experience. Using a researcher-made questionnaire covering Political Awareness, Political Engagement, and Voting Behavior on a 5-point Likert Scale, data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient, and multiple regression. Results showed high to very high political awareness, moderate engagement, and high positive voting behavior, with significant positive correlations between both awareness and engagement with voting behavior, and both variables together significantly predicting voting behavior. The study concludes that strengthening political awareness and providing genuine engagement opportunities are essential for fostering informed, responsible voting, recommending that educational institutions sustain civic education and platforms for balanced political discourse to enhance democratic participation.