YOUTH IN ACTION: POLITICAL AWARENESS AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF THE SELECTED YOUTH IN MAUBAN, QUEZON DURING PANDEMIC

Political awareness and political participation are two significant parts of a democratic country that its citizens need to possess given its function, especially in a crisis like the recent global pandemic. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the political awareness and political participation of the selected youth in Mauban, Quezon during the pandemic. It also aimed to determine the level of their political awareness and political participation as well as the factors that affect their political awareness and political participation during pandemic.The researcher used the Cognitive Mobilization Theory of Civic Literacy and Participation , the RAS Model, and Positive Youth Development Theory. The study followed a descriptive-correlational design and a quantitative approach through self-made questionnaires answered by a total of 382 selected youth respondents in Mauban, Quezon. The self-made questionnaire was transcribed into a google Form and distributed using different online applications to gather the necessary data for the study. The collected data were examined through the use of frequency weighted arithmetic mean, and Pearson r. The result and the findings of the study showed that there is a significant relationship between political awareness and political participation of the selected youth in Mauban, Quezon during the pandemic. This study also discovered that the main factors that affect the political awareness of the respondents during pandemic are the media , mainly news and social media, while the main factors that affect their political participation during pandemic are their self-awareness and desire to have a change in the government. The output of the study was an established policy brief that could increase the awareness and participation of youth in the political arena of Mauban.