Information Perception Behavior and Political Participation of Students in Public Administration Program, Northeastern University, in the Digital Era via Social Media

Abstract

The study aims to 1) examine the level of political information perception behavior among students in the Bachelor of Public Administration program at Northeastern University in the digital age through social media, and 2) investigate the level of political participation among students in the Bachelor of Public Administration program at Northeastern University in the digital age through social media. This is a quantitative research study with a sample group of 92 students from the Bachelor of Public Administration program. The research tools used include questionnaires, and the statistical methods for data analysis include mean and standard deviation. The research findings reveal that 1) the behavior of students in perceiving political information through social media is generally at a high level. When considering individual items, the average scores ranked from highest to lowest are as follows: information seeking, information perception, devices used for information perception, duration of information perception, and the lowest being experience. 2) The level of political participation among students in the digital age is generally at a moderate level. When examining individual items, the average scores ranked from highest to lowest are as follows: exercising voting rights, participating in political activities, student political participation, establishing and being a member of political groups, and the lowest being political demonstrations and movements.