POLITICAL AWARENESS AND RESILIENCE TO MALICIOUS INFORMATION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: COGNITION, ATTITUDE, DIGITAL BEHAVIOR, AND EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS AT AN GIANG UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

Autori

  • Nguyen Ho Thanh PhD, An Giang University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Truong Thanh Hai MA, An Giang University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  • Trinh Van Thanh MA, An Giang University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejpss.v9i3.2308

Cuvinte cheie:

political awareness, malicious information, political attitude, digital political behavior, media literacy

Rezumat

Social media is an important arena of political socialization for university students, but it also increases exposure to misleading, decontextualized, and emotionally manipulative information. This study examines students’ political awareness and resilience to malicious information through the relationships among political cognition, political attitude, and digital political behavior. A mixed-methods design combined document analysis, a survey of 300 full-time students from eight faculties at An Giang University conducted from January to March 2026, and interviews with 12 students and four Youth Union/Student Association officers. The questionnaire comprised 19 items measured on a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression in SPSS 26.0. Political cognition reached M = 4.44 (SD = 0.70), political attitude M = 4.42 (SD = 0.69), and digital political behavior M = 4.12 (SD = 0.81). Although 79.3% of respondents could recognize distorted content, only 65.0% reported responding to or flagging it. Attitude was significantly associated with behavior (r = .52, p < .01) and remained a significant predictor in the regression model (β = .45, p < .001), which explained 36.0% of behavioral variance. Cognition was not a significant direct predictor after controlling for attitude (β = .12, p = .08). The findings reveal an awareness–action gap and support political education that integrates critical media literacy, evidence-based discussion, and responsible digital civic practice on election quality misreads the institutional preconditions of consolidation.

Biografie autor

  • Nguyen Ho Thanh, PhD, An Giang University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Nguyen Ho Thanh holds a PhD in Political Science and is a lecturer at An Giang University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City. His research interests include political education, students' political awareness, digital political communication, public policy, political culture, and information resilience in Vietnam's Southwestern region.

    ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1798-1963

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Descărcări

Publicat

2026-09-07

Număr

Volum 9 Nr. 3 (2026)

Secțiune

Articles