How digital literacy shapes the conversion of political awareness into participation: A cross-national comparative study of Mongolia and China

Abstract

Political awareness is widely viewed as a foundation for democratic participation. However, many politically aware citizens remain inactive. Existing research has examined political awareness, civic engagement, and digital literacy separately, with limited attention to how these factors interact to shape participation especially in digital environments. This study addresses that gap by examining digital literacy as a conditional factor in the relationship between political awareness and political participation. This research investigates the comparative effects of political awareness, civic engagement, and digital literacy on political participation in Mongolia and China. Drawing on the Civic Voluntarism Model, the study develops a moderated mediation framework and examines it using two-wave survey data collected from 600 respondents: 295 from Mongolia and 305 from China between October and December 2024. Findings indicate that political awareness is positively associated with political participation primarily through the mediating role of civic engagement in both samples. Digital literacy statistically significantly moderates this indirect pathway in the Mongolian sample; however, no statistically significant moderating effect was observed in the Chinese sample, suggesting that in more digitally integrated contexts, digital literacy may function as a baseline capability rather than a differentiating resource. Overall, the cross-national analysis indicates that while the underlying mechanisms are consistent across both countries, the strength and significance of these effects vary according to the digital and participatory landscape in each context.