Investigating the Role of Affecting Psychological-Individual Factors on the Feeling of Political Efficacy based on the Levin, Seaman, and Dahl Models (Case Study: Tehrani Adult Citizens)

Abstract

Purpose: The feeling of political efficacy is one of the basic factors and foundations for citizens' political participation in society. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of affecting psychological-individual factors on the feeling of political efficacy based on the Levin, Seaman, and Dahl models in adult citizens.

Methodology: This study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive from type of correlation in terms of implementation method. The research population was all adult citizens of Tehran city in 2023 year, numbering 10030194 people, which the sample size was considered 504 people, and this number were selected by multistage cluster sampling method. The instruments of the present research included a demographic information form and researcher-made questionnaire of affecting psychological-individual factors on the feeling of political efficacy based on the Levin, Seaman, and Dahl models (32 items). The data of this research were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling in SPSS 27 and Smart PLS 3 software.

Findings: The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that number of 2 items were excluded from the questionnaire due to factor loadings of less than 0.40, and the affecting psychological-individual factors on the feeling of political efficacy based on the Levin, Seaman, and Dahl models included 6 factors of political efficacy, political awareness, political trust, political meaninglessness, political indifference, and socioeconomic status, which the average variance extracted for all of them was higher than 0.50, and the Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability for all of them were higher than 0.70. Also, the results of structural equation modeling showed that the model of affecting psychological-individual factors on the feeling of political efficacy based on the Levin, Seaman, and Dahl models had a good fit, and in this model, political awareness, political trust, political meaninglessness, political indifference, and socioeconomic status had a significant effect on political efficacy (P<0.05).

Conclusion: According to the results of the present research and those reported above, for increasing the feeling of political efficacy of adult citizens can pave the basic for improving political awareness, political trust, and socio-economic status, and reducing political meaninglessness and political indifference.