Political involvement of Muslim Gen Z: the role of social media, digital culture and religiosity

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship of social media information quality, usage frequency, digital culture, political marketing activities on social media, trust, political involvement and religiosity as a moderation. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 442 Muslim Gen Z respondents was conducted using an online questionnaire. This paper analyzed the data using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings Information quality of social media and frequency of social media use directly affect political involvement but do not affect trust. Conversely, digital culture and social media political marketing activities directly affect trust but do not affect political involvement. Furthermore, trust does not have a direct impact on political involvement. Finally, religiosity significantly moderates the effect of the quality of information in social media on political involvement. Practical implications This study emphasizes the importance for politicians and marketing experts to understand the religiosity and digital culture of Muslim Gen Z. Therefore, to effectively enhance trust and political engagement among Muslim Gen Z, efforts should focus on improving the quality of political information disseminated through social media. This study expects these improvements to positively influence the frequency and intensity of Muslim Gen Z political activities on these platforms. Originality/value This research has revealed the impact of religiosity in strengthening the link between information quality of social media and political involvement. This study has also revealed the impact of digital culture in strengthening trust, which was limited previously.