The multidimensional online civic engagement for youth (MOCE-Y) scale: development and validation
While researchers know a lot about how teens and young adults can be civically engaged in the real world, such as by volunteering, voting and attending community meetings, what are good tools to measure the equivalent behavior online?
College of Health researcher(s)
Abstract
Online civic engagement among young people may represent a form of positive youth development in digital spaces. However, its impacts on youth’s well-being remain unclear, partly due to a lack of validated measures that capture the unique features of the internet and incorporate youth voices. To address this gap, we developed and validated a scale of multidimensional online civic engagement for youth aged 15 to 25 years (MOCE-Y) using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach. Qualitative interviews with 12 youth supported the multidimensional structure derived from literature, from which we developed an initial 40-item scale. Exploratory (N = 159) and confirmatory (N = 244) factor analyses with two independent samples further validated the multidimensionality of the scale, consisting of civic behaviors and skills. The final 26-item scale demonstrated discriminant, criterion, and incremental validity as well as internal consistency. MOCE-Y lays the groundwork for future research on youth civic engagement online.