Political Activism and Participation: Perceptions, Awareness and Attitudes of the UP Diliman Student Body

Abstract

The University of the Philippines -- Diliman is known not only for being the prime university in academics but also for its tradition of instilling nationalistic values unto the Diliman student body. In the past few years, however, there has been talk of whether this is still applicable today, given the popular opinions culating of how the population of Diliman is now skewed and may affect the perceptions of the students (i.c., leading them more to apathy than political participation). This study aimeo to determine the following: (1) To assess the perceptions of the students regarding political activism and mobilizations; (2) To determine the motivational factors leading to these perceptions; and (3)To determine the socio-demographic and psychographic profile of the students and how these may affect their perceptions, experiences and attitudes towards demonstrations. A descriptive research consisting of both q lalitative and quantitative research designs were utilized in this study. A survey design was employed to gather information from the participants. Qualitative data was also utilized. To meet this objective, in-depth interviews with key informants (I SC chair Third Bagro, Political parties STAND-UP and KAISA, and OSA director Dr. Oscar Ferrer) as well as 6 3ts of focus group discussions consisting of 8 students each were conducted. The study revealed that most of the students view activism in a positive ligh’, even saying that it is a noble action and if ever they delve in it, it would be fine with them. However, they commonly have a negative outlook on activists, and feel that the forms of activism today are ineffective. They understand the reason- for activism but do not agree with the opinions of political activists. The students are very aware of what is going on in the political issues of the country and university, and yet have low participation rates in political activities. The students also have a negative perception towards rallying and demonstrating, saying that these mobilizations do little in making an impact anymore. The social agents that influence the students the most regarding political attitude are the students' (1) peers, (2) family and (J) professors / faculty. Additionally, student activism is highly discouraged and unaccepted in their barkada and families.