Due to the rapid development of digital online discussions, youths nowadays rely on social media to obtain a wide range of political information and participate in online political discussions. This circumstance has indirectly influenced the ambiance of Malaysia’s 15th General Election (GE15), as evidenced by the increased youth participation in voting. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the impact of social media on the institutionalized political behavior (PB) of Malaysian youths, with a particular focus on their participation in electoral processes. A structured questionnaire survey was administered among youths enrolled in three Malaysian research universities (n = 528). The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) for hypothesis testing. Youths’ participation in online political discussions is significant and exerts the most substantial influence on their institutionalized PB. Following political influencers and politicians and participating in online political discussions on social media significantly encourage youths’ participation in GE15 and involvement in institutionalized political activities. This study offers theoretical and practical implications regarding the impact of social media usage on the youth’s PB during GE15 in Malaysia.
Zainurin et al. (2026) studied this question.