An empirical exploration of factors related to adolescents’ political efficacy

Abstract

Political scientists have found that one of the strongest predictors of political participation is political efficacy, the belief that individuals' actions can influence political processes. Prior research indicates that political efficacy increases through various experiences, such as discussions of public issues, but it does not explain why or how these experiences support the development of political efficacy. To address this gap, this paper explores the broad set of factors that influence political efficacy amongst adolescents, who are at a crucial age for identity development. By analysing interview data from 32 high school students and questionnaire responses from 142 undergraduates, I found evidence to support a model that includes a wide variety of factors that contribute to political efficacy, such as persistence, political interest and political trust. Based on this empirical model, I provide practical recommendations to educators and researchers interested in preparing students for active political participation.

Involvement in health policy and political efficacy among hospital nurses in Jordan: A descriptive survey

“…Political Efficacy is defined as the “feeling that individual political action does have or can have, an impact upon the political process, namely, that is worthwhile to perform one's civic duties” (Campbell, Gurin, & Miller, ). The Political Efficacy Scale (Levy, ) was used to measure the political efficacy as four dimensions, which are the external political efficacy/distal (EPE/distal), the external political efficacy/local (EPE/local), the internal political efficacy/knowledge (IPE/knowledge), and the internal political efficacy/skills (IPE/skills). The scale consists of 15 items on a six‐point Likert scale that are rated from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree).…”

“…The scores were interpreted into three levels. The level of political efficacy was considered as low if the total score was 15.00–40.99, moderate if the total score was 41.00–66.99, and high if the total score was 67.00–90.00 (Levy, ).…”

“…Political efficacy has become a significant topic in political research. Political efficacy is defined as the confidence that one's own actions can impact the political process (Levy, ). There are two types of political efficacy: internal political efficacy (IPE) and external political efficacy.…”

“…There are two types of political efficacy: internal political efficacy (IPE) and external political efficacy. While internal political efficacy is defined as the confidence in one's own capabilities to understand and impact the politics, external political efficacy is defined as the confidence that the political system should be responsive to individual needs (Levy, ). Having a sense of being able to affect the political process is strongly correlated with political participation (O'Rourke, ).…”

Advising a Model United Nations club: A scaffolded youth-adult partnership to foster active participation and political engagement

“…Whereas advisors provided support, they also fostered students' sense of empowerment (see Levy, 2011a for more on this), especially as students gained greater club experience. This sense of empowerment can increase not only students' investment and participation in their current activities but also their interest in becoming involved in broader endeavors, such as civic and political affairs (Levy, 2013).…”