Analysis of social media use and political interest among Peruvian university students: The case of Arequipa and Iquitos

In Peru, a country with enormous inequality, weak democratic institutions, and high levels of mistrust of the state, young people tend to be indifferent towards and do not get involved in traditional forms of political participation. The purpose of this study is to understand political interest among university students in the cities of Arequipa and Iquitos, and their use of social media. Indicators of indifference used in this study include the evaluation of political leaders, attachment to or the rejection of democracy and the political system, participation in protests, and membership in associations. Our research questions explore university students' perceptions of authorities and institutions, as well as the type of political information they access, and their use of social media. We carried out eight focus groups, four per city, with a total of 71 students from public and private universities, ranging in age from 17 to 28 years and from the academic disciplines of the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Our principal finding demonstrates that university students have a high level of indifference towards politics, but they are not uninterested in public affairs. However, they distance themselves from political parties. They use social media as a way to access information and to mobilize, but their attitudes are not enough to impact collective political action.