The Effect of Political Literacy Level on Political Sensitivity: A Study on Political Science and Public Administration Students

Political literacy enables individuals to act as informed and conscious citizens by understanding the political environment. It contributes to the ability to actively interpret political information, participate in debates, and make informed decisions. Political sensitivity refers to awareness and responsiveness to the inherently political dimensions and effects of various situations, policies, and practices. Cultural, religious, and economic contexts often shape individuals’ political preferences and sensitivities. This study examines how political literacy levels of political science and public administration students affect their political sensitivity. The study population comprises students at the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Süleyman Demirel University. Data were collected from 421 students voluntarily through convenience sampling. ‘Political Literacy Scale’ and ‘Political Sensitivity Scale’ were used as data collection tools. As a result of the study, the participants’ political literacy and political sensitivity levels were found to be high. It was observed that students’ sensitivity to religious considerations, one of the sub-dimensions of political sensitivity, was low. As a result of the regression analysis, it was concluded that political literacy dimensions positively and moderately affected political sensitivity dimensions. In addition, it was observed that as the level of political literacy increases, political sensitivity also increases.