scholarly journals Testing a Digital Inequality Model for Online Political Participation

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 237802311773390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Büchi ◽  
Florian Vogler

Increasing Internet use is changing the way individuals take part in society. However, a general mobilizing effect of the Internet on political participation has been difficult to demonstrate. This study takes a digital inequality perspective and analyzes the role of Internet expertise for the social structuration of online political participation. Analyses rely on two nationally representative surveys in Switzerland and use cluster analysis and structural equation modeling. A distinct group of political online participants emerged characterized by high education and income. Further, online political participation is predicted by political interest and Internet skills, which increasingly mediated the effects of social position. Digital information policies should therefore consider Internet skills and effective use, particularly in marginalized social groups, to avoid reinforcing traditional participatory inequalities in the digital society.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moritz Büchi ◽  
Florian Vogler

Increasing Internet use is changing the way individuals take part in society but research on the mobilizing effects of the Internet for political participation shows mixed results. The present study takes a digital inequality perspective and analyzes the role of political interest and Internet expertise for the social structuration of online political participation. Analyses are based on two-wave nationally representative survey data from Switzerland and use cluster analysis and structural equation modeling. A distinct group of political users emerged characterized by high education and income. Further, online politi-cal participation is predicted by political interest and Internet skills, which increasingly mediated the effects of social position. Digital information policies should therefore include the promotion of Internet skills and effective use, particularly in marginalized social groups, to avoid reinforcing traditional participatory inequalities in the digital society.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangqi Zhong ◽  
Pengpeng Li ◽  
Jinchao Xi

This study focused on the frequency of social media use. Through investigating and verifying the correlations between social media use frequency, online political participation, and social capital, we derived two models of socialization that affect citizen well-being and, accordingly, proposed strategic suggestions for democratic society construction and network management. This study drew upon the 2019 Taiwan Communication Survey database and used structural equation modeling (SEM) as a statistical method to explore the causal relationship between these four variables (social media use, online political participation, social capital and well-being). The data analysis yielded an overall good fit with the overall fit indicators: χ2 = 214.417, df = 84, p = 2.293, RMSEA = 0.028, GFI = 0.998, CFI = 0.986, SRMR = 0.066, and CN = 993.411. Future communication scholars who wish to explore issues related to new media users can draw on this model for subsequent research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Furnham ◽  
Helen Cheng

Abstract. This study used a longitudinal data set of 5,672 adults followed for 50 years to determine the factors that influence adult trait Openness-to-Experience. In a large, nationally representative sample in the UK (the National Child Development Study), data were collected at birth, in childhood (age 11), adolescence (age 16), and adulthood (ages 33, 42, and 50) to examine the effects of family social background, childhood intelligence, school motivation during adolescence, education, and occupation on the personality trait Openness assessed at age 50 years. Structural equation modeling showed that parental social status, childhood intelligence, school motivation, education, and occupation all had modest, but direct, effects on trait Openness, among which childhood intelligence was the strongest predictor. Gender was not significantly associated with trait Openness. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Kuntsche ◽  
Ronald Knibbe ◽  
Rutger Engels ◽  
Gerhard Gmel

Prevention programs in adolescence are particularly effective if they target homogeneous risk groups of adolescents who share a combination of particular needs and problems. The present work aims to identify and classify risky single-occasion drinking (RSOD) adolescents according to their motivation to engage in drinking. An easy-to-use coding procedure was developed. It was validated by means of cluster analyses and structural equation modeling based on two randomly selected subsamples of a nationally representative sample of 2,449 12- to 18-year-old RSOD students in Switzerland. Results revealed that the coding procedure classified RSOD adolescents as either enhancement drinkers or coping drinkers. The high concordance (Sample A: κ = .88, Sample B: κ = .90) with the results of the cluster analyses demonstrated the convergent validity of the coding classification. The fact that enhancement drinkers in both subsamples were found to go out more frequently in the evenings and to have more satisfactory social relationships, as well as a higher proportion of drinking peers and a lower likelihood to drink at home than coping drinkers demonstrates the concurrent validity of the classification. To conclude, the coding procedure appears to be a valid, reliable, and easy-to-use tool that can help better adapt prevention activities to adolescent risky drinking motives.


Author(s):  
Bangaly Kaba

The purpose of this study is to understand the difference between Internet users' continuing use behavior in the context of digital inequality. Data were collected through a survey of Internet users in the Ivory Coast. The structural equation modeling technique was used to test the research hypothesis. This study showed empirically that concern over information and communication technologies (ICT) access as an explanation for digital inequality should be toned down. This research suggests emphasizing alternative factors to explain Internet sustained use intention by underprivileged individuals, including normative beliefs. The results will help internet service providers, governments, and international aid agencies to better understand users' behaviors or reactions to ICT available to them. This understanding provides a foundational platform upon which viable and effective information technology-enabled solutions and policies can be conceptualized and implemented. This study is one of the few that integrate three salient beliefs to differentiate ICT use continuance intention in the context of digital inequality.


2017 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 526-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye-Jin Paek ◽  
Mideum Choi ◽  
Thomas Hove

As people have become increasingly concerned about their health, programs about health have proliferated on South Korean television. This study’s purpose is to identify the factors associated with and processes through which Korean adults intend to view health TV programs. The comprehensive model of information seeking (CMIS) was tested using structural equation modeling that was fitted with survey data from a nationally representative sample of 1,020 South Korean adults. Results indicate that the demographic antecedents of being female and older adult and the psychological antecedents of being health conscious and health literate significantly predicted the degree to which people would perceive health TV programs to be useful. Among the information carrier factors of health TV programs, utility was directly related to intention to view, while trust in health information on TV was only indirectly related to intention to view. For theoretical implications, we suggest further conceptual and operational refinement of CMIS. For practical implications, we highlight the importance of motivational and utility factors in predicting people’s intention to view health TV programs. Finally, this study stresses the importance of TV as a viable health information provider that can reduce health information gaps and help people (particularly older adults, the poor, and the less educated) to improve their health knowledge and health behaviors.


2020 ◽  
pp. 089443932092608
Author(s):  
Cassidy Puckett

Past research suggests the ability to adapt to technological change by learning new technologies is a core feature of technological competence and consequential for inequality. Yet there exists no definition or measure of what people do to learn technologies that are new to them and empirically link this to inequality. To address this gap, I conducted studies involving over 2,000 adolescents to develop and validate a measure of what I call “digital adaptability,” the use of five habits that help individuals learn technologies that are new to them. The studies included observation and cognitive interviews to describe adaptability and develop an initial item pool, a pilot to narrow items using structural equation modeling, a full test with 897 eighth-grade students in Chicago with analysis of convergent and discriminant validity, and a replication study with 1,285 high school students near Boston. Finally, using Chicago and Boston area data, I find adaptability correlates with students’ educational plans and career aspirations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics —linking digital adaptability to students’ futures. Overall, the digital adaptability measure provides a critical theoretical and empirical tool for digital inequality research, practice, and policy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihua Fan ◽  
Allison G. Dempsey

This study examined the mediating role of student school motivation in linking student victimization experiences and academic achievement among a nationally representative sample of students in 10th grade. Structural equation modeling supported that there were significant associations between student victimization and academic achievement for high school students. Give these significant associations, identification of the cognitive mechanisms that underlie these relationships is critical to understanding the plight of repeated victims. Our results indicated that students who reported frequent peer victimization also reported reduced school motivation (self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation), resulting in lower achievement in both reading and math. These pathways existed after accounting for differences in achievement that may be due to socioeconomic status and gender.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1113-1129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Il Kim ◽  
Sung Joon Jang ◽  
Byron R. Johnson

Using data from a nationally representative sample of American adult males ( N = 2,512), this study examines (a) whether duration of membership in the Boy Scouts of America is associated with adult civic engagement and (b) whether five characteristics of positive youth development (confidence, competence, connection, character, and caring) account for the relationship between duration of Scouting membership and adult civic engagement. The results from structural equation modeling indicate that duration of participation in Scouting is positively associated with four indicators of civic engagement: community involvement, community volunteering, community activism, and environmental activism. Among the five positive characteristics, confidence and competence were found to fully mediate the effects of Scouting on all four types of civic engagement, whereas the other three only to partly mediate the effects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1068-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason T. Carbone ◽  
Stephen Edward McMillin

Collective efficacy is an often–studied concept, yet theoretical differences and confusing terminology lead to an inability to translate the concept across disciplines. Utilizing a nationally representative sample, this study employs structural equation modeling combined with a series of hierarchical models to test the hypotheses that the focal independent variables of neighborhood perceptions, strong social ties, and civic engagement as a proxy for weak social ties are each positively associated with collective efficacy while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Findings show that all the focal independent variables were positively associated with collective efficacy. The full model accounts for nearly half the variance in collective efficacy. These results support other, recent research findings that the collective efficacy measure is more highly associated with respondent perceptions of the community and strong social ties than originally theorized.


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