Time perspectives and conventional political participation: Evidence from adolescents and young adults

Political participation in its conventional forms is crucial for the development of adolescents and young adults, along with society as a whole. Identifying the factors that influence such participation is key to fostering active engagement. This research examined how different time perspectives relate to conventional political participation, using a cross-sectional survey of 499 high school and university students in a province in western China. Linear regression analysis revealed positive associations between various time perspectives—namely, past negative, past positive, present impulsive, and future orientations—and conventional political participation, whereas the present-fatalistic time orientation showed no significant association with conventional political engagement. These results suggest that interventions targeting time perspectives may enhance conventional political participation among adolescents and young adults.