What is it about?
Social media has become an important space for young people to discuss politics, express opinions, and participate in democratic life. But what actually motivates them to take part? This study examines the factors that drive young adults’ political participation through social media. Using survey data from 236 young adults and structural equation modelling, we combine two established theories of political behaviour to examine the roles of attitudes, social expectations, political interest, political efficacy, involvement, interactions, and access to resources. The results show that personal attitudes and psychological engagement—especially political interest, efficacy, and involvement—are the strongest drivers of online political participation. In contrast, subjective social norms and resource availability do not significantly influence participation. This suggests that young people’s political engagement online is driven primarily by internal motivation rather than by peer pressure or material resources.
Featured Image
Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Understanding what motivates young people to participate in politics is important for governments, civic organizations, educators, and digital-platform designers seeking to strengthen democratic engagement. Our findings suggest that encouraging youth participation through social media requires more than simply relying on peer influence or improving access to resources. Strategies are likely to be more effective when they strengthen political interest, confidence, and the feeling that individual participation can make a difference. The study therefore provides practical guidance for initiatives aimed at increasing meaningful youth engagement in democratic processes through digital platforms.
Perspectives
Social media can lower many practical barriers to political participation, but simply making participation easier does not necessarily make young people more willing to engage. Our results suggest that internal psychological factors matter more. Young adults are more likely to participate when they are interested in politics, feel capable of influencing political outcomes, and personally view participation positively. Interestingly, political interactions can shape perceptions of what others expect, but these subjective norms do not translate directly into stronger participation intentions. This means that social influence may affect political perceptions without necessarily becoming the main driver of political action. Future efforts to strengthen digital democratic participation should therefore focus on political efficacy, interest, involvement, and meaningful opportunities for young people to feel that their participation matters.
Prof. Afshin Ashofteh
Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Beyond Social Norms: Exploring the Drivers of Youth's Political Participation Via Social Media, Emerging Science Journal, April 2025, Italian Journal of Science and Engineering,
DOI: 10.28991/esj-2025-09-02-05.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
