The Effects of Media Exposure to Political Information and Interpersonal Political Communication on Political Participation: A Cross-Income Group Differential Study of Filipino Youth in Metro Manila
Pangilinan, K. M. (2017). The Effects of Media Exposure to Political Information and Interpersonal Political Communication on Political Participation: A Cross-Income Group Differential Study of Filipino Youth in Metro Manila, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication. This thesis studies the effects of media exposure to political information and interpersonal political communication on the political participation among Filipino youth across different income groups. Specifically, it examines how varying levels of media access and incidental exposure to political information, as well as differing degrees of interpersonal political communication within family, peers, and school networks, affect the offline and online political participation of young individuals, aged 15-24, in Metro Manila. To find out the cross-income group differential effects of the mentioned variables on the youth’s individual and collective participation in political life, the researcher used and integrated the Social Cognitive Theory of Political Participation and the Communication Mediation Model as the theoretical foundations of the study. Results showed that high levels of media exposure to political information and interpersonal political communication led to the Filipino youth’s participation in various political activities. Significantly, media exposure and interpersonal communication levels were related to the young individuals’ involvement in political life. While it played a significant role in media exposure and political communication, family income was revealed to have no predictive value when it came to explaining participation in politics.