Social Media, Civic Engagement, and Government Responsiveness in Nigeria: A Quantitative Study of Digital Political Communication
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62569/fijc.v3i3.277Keywords:
Civic Engagement, Digital Political Communication, Government Responsiveness, Nigeria, Participatory Democracy, Social MediaAbstract
This study examines the relationship between social media use, civic engagement, and perceived government responsiveness within Nigeria’s digital political communication environment. The study employed a quantitative research design using a structured questionnaire administered to Nigerian citizens aged 18 years and above. Of the 500 questionnaires distributed, 450 valid responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression with SPSS. Stratified random sampling was used to represent respondents across demographic groups and urban and rural locations. The findings revealed that 74% of respondents used social media daily for political purposes, 61% shared political content, 48% participated in online campaigns, and 55% used social media to monitor government performance. However, only 42% perceived the government as responsive to their online engagement, while 38% expressed disagreement and 20% remained neutral. Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between social media use and civic engagement . Multiple regression analysis showed that social media use frequency ), education level , and urban residence significantly predicted civic engagement. The model explained 38% of the variance in civic engagement . Social media plays an important role in facilitating civic engagement and expanding digital political participation in Nigeria. Nevertheless, the limited perception of government responsiveness highlights a gap between online participation and institutional accountability.
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