Home⇛WVSU Research Journal⇛vol. 14 no. 1 (2025)

Political Participation, Media Consumption, and Misinformation Perception Among Undergraduate Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sampaloc, Manila

Francel M. Capati | Nicole Adrienne R. Santos | Jazztin Jairum P. Manalo

 

Abstract:

Media consumption as a motivator for political participation among the youth has garnered critical attention from researchers in the past. Several works of literature suggest a relationship between media use and political participation. However, global health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic alter how people live due to health restrictions, thereby affecting how they collectively participate in political activities. The spread of COVID-19-related misinformation has likewise become prevalent. With the youth comprising 86.8 percent of social media users in the Philippines, the researchers explored whether there was a correlation between political participation, media consumption, and misinformation perceptions among undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic in selected universities in Sampaloc, Manila. An online Google Forms survey with Likert scales was disseminated and used as an instrument to measure the levels of political participation, media consumption, and misinformation perceptions among undergraduate students. Pearson correlation coefficient tests were done to establish the strength and direction between the variables. The findings of the study suggest that the variables are positively correlated. The researchers also found that the levels of political participation, media consumption, and extent of misinformation have increased during the pandemic. With this, the researchers conclude that higher media consumption and news exposure increase political participation levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, andCOVID-19-related misinformation perceptions determine the likelihood of individuals participating politically during the pandemic.



References:

  1. Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. (2022). University Belt.
  2. Ahmad, T., Alvi, A., & Ittefaq, M. (2019). The use of social media on political participation among university students: An analysis of survey results from rural Pakistan. SAGE Open, 9(3).
  3. Amin, R., & Mahmud, A. (2017). Use of social networking media in political participation: A study on Dhaka University students. Sociology and Anthropology, 5(6), 481–488. https://doi.org/10.13189/sa.2017.050607
  4. Arugay, A. A. (2022). Stronger social media influence in the 2022 Philippine elections. ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, 33, 1–10.
  5. Austin, L., Jin, Y., & Liu, B. F. (2012). How audiences seek out crisis information: Exploring the social-mediated crisis communication model. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 40(2), 188–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2012.654498
  6. Babbie, E. (2008). The basics of social research (4th ed.). Wadsworth Publishing.
  7. Bode, L., Edgerly, S., Wells, C., Gabay, I., Franklin, C., Friedland, L., & Shah, D. V. (2018). Participation in contentious politics: Rethinking the roles of news, social media, and conversation amid divisiveness. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2018.1485607
  8. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Teaching thematic analysis: Overcoming challenges and developing strategies for effective learning. The Psychologist, 26(2), 120–123.
  9. Brosius, A., Hameleers, M., Ohme, J., & Van der Meer, T. G. L. A. (2021). Attenuating the crisis: The relationship between media use, prosocial political participation, and holding misinformation beliefs during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 31(1), 285–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2021.1924735
  10. Campoamor‑Olegario, D. J., Peña‑Ramos, J. A., & Recuero‑López, F. (2019). Online political participation of young people in Mexico, Spain and Chile. Comunicar, 27(61), 65–74.
  11. Castells, M. (2005). A network theory of power. International Journal of Communication, 5, 773–787.
  12. Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2013). Teaching thematic analysis: Overcoming challenges and developing strategies for effective learning. The Psychologist, 26(2), 120–123.
  13. Commission on Higher Education. (2020, September 3). Student population in University Belt, Manila. eFOI – Electronic Freedom of Information. https://www.foi.gov.ph/requests/
  14. De‑la‑Garza‑Montemayor, D. J., Peña‑Ramos, J. A., & Recuero‑López, F. (2019). Online political participation of young people in Mexico, Spain and Chile. Comunicar, 27(61), 65–74.
  15. François, A., Gergaud, O., Garel, A., & Noury, A. (2021). How does COVID‑19 affect electoral participation? Evidence from the French municipal elections. PLOS ONE, 16(2), e0247026.
  16. Kasadha, J. (2020). Does social media matter in developing democracies? Examining its impact on citizen political participation and expression in Uganda. Journal of Public Affairs, 20(1), e1981. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1981
  17. Manalo, J. J. P. (2021). Electoral politics and clientelism in the 3rd District of Palawan, Philippines: Changes, consistencies, and controversies. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Research, 9(1), 35–43.
  18. McAllister, I. (2016). Internet use, political knowledge and youth electoral participation in Australia. Journal of Youth Studies, 19(9), 1250–1267. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2016.1154936
  19. Mirbabaie, M., Bunker, D., Stieglitz, S., Marx, J., & Ehnis, C. (2020). Social media in times of crisis: Learning from Hurricane Harvey for the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic response. Journal of Information Technology, 35(3), 195–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268396220929258
  20. Montero, J., Teorell, J., & Torcal, M. (2007). Political participation: Mapping the terrain. European Political Science, 6(3), 243–262.
  21. Morris, K., & Miller, P. (2021). Voting in a pandemic: COVID‑19 and primary turnout in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Urban Affairs Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874211005016
  22. Philippine Statistics Authority. (2020). Functional literacy rate of Filipinos by exposure to different forms of mass media ranges from 92.6 percent to 97.1 percent in 2019. Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/content/functional-literacy-rate-filipinos-exposure-different-forms-mass-media-ranges-926-percent
  23. Shah, D. V., McLeod, D. M., Rojas, H., Cho, J., Wagner, M. W., & Friedland, L. A. (2017). Revising the communication mediation model for a new political communication ecology. Human Communication Research, 43(4), 491–504. https://doi.org/10.1111/hcre.12115
  24. Stangor, C. (2011). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (4th ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
  25. United Nations. (2022). Global issues: Youth.
  26. University Guru. (2022). All 28 universities in Manila | Rankings & reviews 2022. Retrieved from https://www.universityguru.com/universities-manila
  27. Van Deth, J. W. (2016). What is political participation? Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.68.
  28. Williams, T. (2021, June 14). Why is quantitative research important? Grand Canyon University. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/doctoral-journey/why-quantitative-research-important

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic