Mapping the Political Awareness of Gen Z Students: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Study

Jafar Ahmad, Wisnarni, Kasful Anwar, Masnur Alam, Ade Putra Hayat, Agung Tri Prasetia, Ragil Ibnu Hajar

Abstract

This study aims to map the political awareness of Generation Z students at an Islamic university by drawing on Baddeley and James’s political typology framework, which classifies individuals into four types based on two core dimensions: reading, understood as the ability to interpret political dynamics, and bringing, understood as the ability to internalize political values and act with integrity. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, data were collected from 353 students through a Guttman-scale questionnaire in the quantitative phase, followed by in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis involving 12 purposively selected participants in the qualitative phase. The findings show that 49.9% of students fall into the “Sheep” category (low reading, high bringing), indicating strong moral orientation but limited political literacy; 21.2% are categorized as “Foxes” (high reading, low bringing), reflecting strategic political understanding without sufficient ethical commitment; 19.5% are “Donkeys” (low reading, low bringing), suggesting political disengagement and confusion; and only 9.3% are “Owls” (high reading, high bringing), representing critically engaged and ethically grounded political actors. Variations across faculties indicate that academic discipline significantly shapes political awareness: education (tarbiyah) students are dominant in the Sheep and Owl categories, Islamic law students are more represented in the Fox category, while economics students are more frequently found among the Donkeys. The qualitative findings further reveal that students’ political decisions are often influenced by family authority, religious identity, and pragmatic personal interests rather than by systematic policy analysis. This study contributes theoretically by validating and contextualizing the Baddeley and James model within the context of Indonesian Islamic higher education. Practically, it provides an empirical basis for designing targeted political education interventions. The findings underscore the need for curricular and extracurricular programs that strengthen political literacy while fostering ethical engagement among Generation Z students in Islamic higher education.

 

Keywords: political awareness; Generation Z; Islamic higher education; political education; political literacy; mixed methods.

 

DOI https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.53.5.11


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References


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