EXAMINING THE FACTORS AFFECTING POLITICAL INFORMATION-SEEKING BEHAVIOUR THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AMONG YOUTHS IN MALAYSIA

The dynamic characteristics of social media provide a vast space for society to obtain useful information including political information. This advancement of information dissemination must be benefited by every layer of society, including the youth, to increase their participation in issues regarding national politics. Therefore, this research aims to examine the effects of efficacy, policy satisfaction, knowledge, motivation, and social media on political information-seeking behavior among students in Malaysian public Universityes. The study employed a survey method in which a self-developed questionnaire was used as a data-gathering instrument. The questionnaire was administered to a multi-stage sample of 381 respondents from selected public Universityes in Malaysia. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that efficacy, knowledge, and usefulness of social media have significant effects on political information-seeking behavior among youth in Malaysia. Meanwhile, policy satisfaction and motivation do not affect political information-seeking behavior among the respondents. Thus, this study indicates the potential of efficacy, knowledge, and social media to influence Malaysian youths in terms of political-information seeking. This outcome can help policymakers to make informed decisions on the youth's contribution to the democratic process, particularly in the Malaysian context.