Explaining citizens’ participation in crowdsourced policy making: The role of digital policy literacy, participation efficacy, and platform trust
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study explains citizens’ willingness to participate in crowdsourced policymaking by examining the roles of digital policy literacy, digital access capability, issue-based participatory motivation, digital participation efficacy, and platform trust and data assurance. Using an explanatory quantitative design, this study surveyed 370 digitally connected citizens in East Java who were actual or potential users of digital participatory policymaking platforms. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The measurement model fulfilled the required validity and reliability criteria. Convergent validity was established because all retained indicators had outer loading values above 0.70 and all constructs had AVE values above 0.50. Discriminant validity was also confirmed through the Fornell-Larcker criterion and HTMT values below 0.90, indicating that each construct was empirically distinct from the others. In addition, all constructs were reliable because Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability values exceeded 0.70. The structural model findings show that digital policy literacy and digital access capability significantly strengthen digital participation efficacy, but neither directly increases willingness to participate. Issue-based participatory motivation is the most consistent antecedent because it significantly affects digital participation efficacy, platform trust and data assurance, and willingness to participate. Platform trust and data assurance emerges as the strongest predictor of willingness to participate, whereas digital participation efficacy shows a significant but negative relationship with willingness to participate. The mediation results further indicate that the strongest pathway is not access or literacy through efficacy, but issue-based motivation through platform trust and data assurance. These findings challenge technology-centered explanations of e-participation and show that crowdsourced policymaking depends less on platform availability than on issue relevance, data assurance, and citizens’ trust that their input will be handled securely and accountably.
Source: Multidisciplinary Reviews
Institution: Universitas Merdeka Malang
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7220209987