Gender Differences in Digital Citizenship Competencies and Online Civic Participation in Calabar Municipal Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria 50 18
Keywords:
Gender, Digital citizenship, Online civic participation, Digital divide, Calabar, NigeriaAbstract
This study examined gender differences in digital citizenship competencies and online civic participation in Calabar Municipal Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria. A descriptive comparative survey design was adopted. The sample comprised 346 residents aged 18 and above. Data were collected using a Digital Citizenship Competence Scale (DCCS, 20 items) and an Online Civic Participation Scale (OCPS, 16 items across two sub-dimensions: Passive Civic Engagement and Active Online Political Participation), both rated on a 4-point Likert format, with internal consistency reliability coefficients of .82, and .86 respectively. Data were analysed using independent-samples t-tests, Pearson correlation, and moderated multiple regression at the .05 significance level. The results showed no significant gender difference in overall digital citizenship competence; a significant gender difference in overall online civic participation favouring males, concentrated more strongly in active online political participation than in passive civic engagement; a significant positive correlation between digital citizenship competence and online civic participation; and, notably, no significant gender moderation of this relationship, despite significant main effects of both digital citizenship competence and gender. These findings suggest that the gender gap in this context is concentrated in participation behaviour, particularly public/active forms of online political expression, rather than in underlying digital competence, pointing toward socio-cultural rather than purely skills-based explanations for the observed gap.Downloads
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