Developing and Validating a Political Knowledge Questionnaire for First-Time Voters in Malaysia (Undi18)

Political knowledge is a cornerstone of democratic participation, yet first-time voters often face significant knowledge deficits. In Malaysia, the Undi18 reform, which lowered the voting age to 18 and introduced automatic voter registration, has expanded the electorate by millions of youth whose readiness for informed participation remains underexplored. This study develops and validates a Political Knowledge Questionnaire tailored for Malaysia’s new electorate, focusing on three key domains: Democracy Information, Election Information, and Political Party Information. The instrument was adapted from established frameworks and refined through expert review (VREP), face validity assessments, and pilot testing (N=60), with internal consistency confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha and dimensional clarity assessed via Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). A larger sample (N=547) was then analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to establish construct validity. The initial 22-item model demonstrated strong factor loadings but poor overall fit (CMIN/DF = 8.029, RMSEA = .113, CFI = .862). After modification, three items (MD2, MPi1, MPi3) were removed, resulting in a 20-item model with robust factor loadings (.64–.89), acceptable inter-construct correlations, and excellent fit indices (CMIN/DF = 3.133, RMSEA = .063, CFI = .966, GFI = .922, TLI = .958). The validated instrument fills a critical methodological gap in Malaysian political communication scholarship by providing a reliable, context-specific tool to assess the political knowledge of Undi18 voters. Beyond methodological contribution, the study highlights the democratic urgency of equipping youth with the knowledge necessary for meaningful participation, offering policymakers, educators, and civil society an empirical basis for interventions that strengthen civic literacy and empower Malaysia’s youngest electorate.