Political discussions lead to political efficacy among students in Indonesia
| Author | Mustain Mashud,Rachmah Ida,Muhammad Saud |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/20578911221143674 |
| Published date | 01 March 2023 |
| Date | 01 March 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Southeast Asia |
Political discussions lead to
political efficacy among
students in Indonesia
Mustain Mashud
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Science,
Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Rachmah Ida
Department of Communication, Faculty of and Political Science,
Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Muhammad Saud
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Science,
Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Abstract
Student unions based on religious and political affiliations are of paramount importance in political
decision-making around the globe and in Indonesia particularly. The involvement of youth in pol-
itical arenas and narrative building has become a debated topic among academicians, scholars and
policymakers. In the context of Indonesia, the association of youth with religious groups has been
seen as very important for engaging them in capacity-building initiatives (students in particular) and
in political activities by mobilizing them with general communitie s. The present study examines the
phenomenon of political efficacy through the political participation of youth associated with differ-
ent religious and political groups. In consideration of the nature of the study, the present research
tried to accomplish the desired outcomes by employing a quantitative research design and carr ying
out surveys. For that purpose, a self-administered questionnaire was developed with the help of
literature for gathering data. The data were gathered from students and the general public, focus-
ing on the premise that political discussion and religious group affiliation can be instrumental for
political efficacy. The research found that the affiliation of students with religious groups has a
strong impact on their involvement in political activities. Along with various political and religious
factors, social media is considered a decisive factor in forming youth’s political opinions and
Corresponding author:
Muhammad Saud, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya,
Indonesia.
Email: muhhammad.saud@gmail.com
Southeast Asia
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2023, Vol. 8(1) 184–200
© The Author(s) 2022
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/20578911221143674
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developing a sense of community engagement as well as practising their political rights. The data
also show that there is a significant relationship between political efficacy and social media, high-
lighting that the participation of students in political discussion leads to political efficacy by mobil-
izing youth with general communities to create a discursive political environment.
Keywords
political discussion, political efficacy, political participation, religious students, social media, social
networks, youth
Introduction
Since the Second World War, students in East and Southeast Asia have led strong movements that
have toppled authoritarian regimes in countries such as Indonesia (Weiss and Aspinall, 2012).
Students under the umbrella of religio-political associations have played a significant role in mobil-
izing the masses for social and political change. The involvement of youth in politics has changed
the political scenario of Indonesia towards strengthening the democracy (Zarkasyi, 2008). Previous
studies on democratic practices and the involvement of youth in recent decades have not been given
considerable attention to state and political parties (Bessant, 2004; Hostetler, 2012; Ziwoya, 2016).
It has been observed that political tendencies are higher where cultural and religious factors influ-
ence the general masses to vote and to choose political parties or candidates by families and peer
groups (Gibson, 1992; Jennings et al., 2009). With the changing global trends, the mindsets of stu-
dents in democratic societies are also changing, where existing traditional political structures have
evolved from their predecessors. The present study highlights young people’s participation via reli-
gious associations in political activities in both offline and online (e.g. social media) platforms. It
also examines how their participation provides opportunities for other students to contribute to the
politics of Indonesia. In short, we investigate how political discussions on social media increase the
political efficacy of students in Indonesia with the intervention of religious affiliation.
The history of Indonesian politics includes the involvement of student groups with different reli-
gious associations (Kingsbury, 2002; Liddle, 1985). Indonesia has a democratic political system
(Djuyandi, and Darmawan, 2021). In 1908, student movements via their participation in politics
during the period of Budi Oetomo, a nationalist youth organization, declared a national awakening
(termed locally as Kebangktian Nasional). According to Aspinall (2012), student movements in
Indonesia are solely by moral principles and ethics, as students strongly follow the State’s ideology
of five principles known as the Pancasila teachings.
Moreover, students’activism and activities in Indonesia are part of extra-parliament action (Wekke
and Mukhtar, 2019). Student affiliation with religious institutions or groups are higher in affiliations
and also has strong family associations (Fincher et al., 2012). Religious student associations have
faced political criticism for their activism (Henn et al., 2002), especially during Suharto’sNew
Order regime when student movements were banned and leaders arrested (Liddle, 1985). Suharto’s
regime introduced the concept of a ‘campus normalization policy’(termed locally as Normalisasi
Kehidupan Kampus or NKK) which sought to depoliticize campus life by restricting student organiza-
tions (Zarkasyi, 2008).
The youth studies literature has found that the importance of youth activism and its creative role
during election campaigns marks a significant shift from the old pattern of political movements to
the new model of activism (Aspinall and Berenschot, 2019). It is closely related to the rise of reli-
giously inclined students in Indonesian politics, which has manifested in both local and national
Mashud et al. 185
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