Participation in Online Platforms: Examining Variations in Intention to Participate across Citizens from Diverse Sociodemographic Groups

Abstract

Theory about the participants in online citizen participation is scarce, limiting government's ability to design online participation in such a way that many and diverse citizens are facilitated to participate. To fill this gap, this article theorizes about the factors that influence the intention of citizens from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds to participate in online platforms. The theory of planned behavior is used as theoretical lens, which posits that behavioral intentions depend on three main factors (attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavioral control), which are in turn informed by behavioral, normative, and control beliefs. To identify relevant beliefs that impact online participation, an open-ended questionnaire was administered among 442 respondents. Fourteen behavioral and control beliefs are defined using thematic analysis. Building on these insights, the article formulates propositions about beliefs that are particularly influential for specific sociodemographic groups, in an effort to advance theory about online participation of citizens.