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.

citizen participation, political literacy, youth development, electoral behavior, university students

1. Al-Ansari, R., Al-Fahim, O., & Zang, B. (2025). The relationship between civic education and active political participation of students. International Journal of Educational Narratives, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2024.24105 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Al-Khaza’leh, M. S., & Lahiani, H. (2021). University and political awareness among students: A study in the role of university in promoting political awareness. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 11(2), 204. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2021-0041 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Alodat, A. M., Al-Qora’n, L. F., & Hamoud, M. A. (2023). Social media platforms and political participation: A study of Jordanian youth engagement. Social Sciences, 12(7), 402. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12070402 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Boulianne, S. (2022). Twenty years of research on online political participation: State of the field and future directions. New Media & Society, 24(5), 1055–1079. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820984024 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Brennan, J. (2024). The ethics of voting. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/voting-ethics/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Budiman, N., & Irwandi, I. (2020). Pemetaan preferensi perilaku pemilih milenial pada Pilkada Kabupaten Tanah Datar 2020. Politea, 3(1), 85. https://doi.org/10.21043/politea.v3i1.7582 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Cohan, A., & Chaaraoui, L. (2024, October 25). Peer pressure and social media are key factors in the 2024 youth vote. GBH. https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2024-10-25/peer-pressure-and-social-media-are-key-factors-in-the-2024-youth-vote [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Dawson, R. E., & Prewitt, K. (1969). Political socialization. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Little, Brown. Dela Cruz, M. (2022). The role of political education in promoting civic engagement in the Philippines. Philippine Journal of Social Sciences, 19(3), 114–128. https://www.pids.gov.ph/publications/7518 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Downs, A. (1957). An economic theory of democracy. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Harper. Héroux-Legault, M. (2023). The impact of political knowledge on the voting decision. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 56(3), 596–619. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008423923000410 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Hill, B. (2020). Young people face higher voting costs and are less informed about state voting laws. Berkeley Institute for Young Americans. https://youngamericans.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Hill_BIFYA_Working_Paper_08_08_2020.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. James, T. S., & Garnett, H. A. (2023). The voter experience around the world: a human reflexivity approach. Representation, 60(2), 231–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/00344893.2023.2290714 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Jensen, M. J., & McGinnis, E. J. (2023). Political alienation in the United States: Conceptualization, causes, and consequences. Political Research Quarterly, 76(3), 1187–1202. https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129221142181 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2024). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (8th ed.). SAGE Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Khan, M. Z. (2021). Social media and political socialization of students in higher education institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Ilkogretim Online - Elementary Education Online, 20(5), 3662–3672. https://ilkogretim-online.org/index.php/pub/article/download/5972/5779/11447 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Ladia, C. E. P., & Panao, R. A. L. (2023). Filipino youth in viral and virulent times: Unpacking the predictors of youth political participation in the 2022 Philippine elections. Child & Youth Services, 45(4), 560–582. https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935x.2023.2261362 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Lee, J., & Tan, S. (2021). The influence of civic education on political participation among young adults in Singapore. Journal of Youth Studies, 24(5), 641-658. (Note: DOI not readily found for this journal/article via standard search) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Lundberg, E., & Abdelzadeh, A. (2025). The role of youth extracurricular activities and political intentions in later political participation and civic engagement. Journal of Adolescence, 97, 662–674. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12443 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Medina, A., Siegel-Stechler, K., & Suzuki, S. (2025). Young people and the 2024 election: Struggling, disconnected, and dissatisfied. CIRCLE, Tufts University. https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/2024-poll-barriers-issues-economy [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Muringa, T., & Adjin-Tettey, T. D. (2024). Media literacy’s role in democratic engagement and societal transformation among university students. African Journalism Studies, 1(20). https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2024.2424902 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Neundorf, A., & Smets, K. (2017). Political socialization and the making of citizens. In Oxford handbook of political socialization. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935307.013.98 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Rojas, A. (2020). Who are the youth of today? Generation unlimited. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/cuba/en/publications/who-are-the-youth-today-generation-unlimited [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Sterling, B. (2021, May 7). “The Power of the Powerless” by Vaclav Havel - Bruce Sterling. Medium. https://bruces.medium.com/the-power-of-the-powerless-by-vaclav-havel-84b2b8d3a84a [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Sumatra, E. J. B. (2025). Examining how candidate attributes shape Gen Z perceptions for the 2025 Philippine Senate elections using conjoint analysis. Philippine EJournals. https://ejournals.ph/article.php?id=25140 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Verba, S., Schlozman, K. L., & Brady, H. E. (1995). Voice and equality: Civic voluntarism in American politics. Harvard University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Wallace, J. (2024, December 18). The importance of democracy. Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/04/importance-democracy [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Ward, S. (2023, August 2). Lack of quality civic education in public schools in the United States - Ballard brief. Ballard Brief. https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/lack-of-quality-civic-education-in-public-schools-in-the-united-states [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Younas, M., & Imran, M. (2025). Multiple modalities of teaching civic education awareness among students: A pragmatic approach-based case study. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2460967. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2460967 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Zainurin, S. J., Husin, W. N. W., Zainol, N. M., & Ismail, A. (2024). Peers influence on youth political behavior: A systematic review. International Journal of Social Science Research, 12(2), 182–195*. https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijssr/article/download/21437/16908 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Zhang, W. (2022). Political disengagement among youth: A comparison between 2011 and 2020. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 809432. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809432 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Global Political Economy and Educational Reforms in the Global South: An Evolutionary Study of Ghana
• Electoral Militarization and the Challenges of Free and Fair Elections in Nigeria: A Focus on the 2023 Presidential Election
• Role of Community Leaders in Ensuring Secure Electoral Process in Nairobi City County, Kenya