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Through these objectives, the research explores the potential of My Munici-Pal to revolutionise youth engagement in local governance, creating a space where young people can actively contribute to the development of their communities and the policies that shape their futures. To achieve the objectives outlined above, this research solicited the experiences, perceptions, and attitudes of youth at Howard College at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), a tech-savvy demographic that represents the primary target group for the My Munici-Pal app. The selection of Howard College as a sample group stems from the assumption that students within this environment are more likely to be familiar with digital tools and platforms, making them an ideal group for testing the app’s design, functionality, and potential to encourage civic engagement.
The research specifically focused on gathering insights into the experiences of this group with existing digital platforms, particularly those related to civic engagement and municipal participation. By assessing how these young individuals interact with current apps, the research aimed to identify the limitations and barriers that hinder effective youth participation in municipal matters. The findings from this evaluation were then used to inform the design of My Munici-Pal, ensuring that the app addresses these shortcomings and better meets the needs and preferences of its intended users.
In particular, the research sought to understand:
• User experiences with existing apps: How youth engage with current digital platforms related to governance, local issues, or community participation,
and what features they find most useful or lacking.
• Perceptions and attitudes: How the youth perceive the relevance and effectiveness of these apps in encouraging civic participation, as well as any challenges or frustrations they face when using these
platforms.
• Barriers to participation: Identification of key barriers
to engaging youth in municipal matters, including usability issues, lack of relevant content, or disconnects between the platforms and their interests or needs.
By incorporating these insights into the development of My Munici-Pal, the app can better facilitate youth participation in municipal matters by addressing these limitations and offering an intuitive, engaging platform that resonates with young people. The goal is to create an app that not only promotes active participation but also aligns with the digital habits and expectations of the target audience, ultimately fostering a more engaged, informed, and empowered youth demographic in local governance.
Materials and methods
This study was approved for ethical clearance by the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (protocol number 00007578/2024). It employed a qualitative research design to explore in- depth the perceptions and attitudes of students at Howard College, UKZN, towards the use of smartphone apps for participating in municipal matters. A random sampling technique was used to randomly select a diverse sample of 688 undergraduate and postgraduate students from different colleges, including Law and Management, Agriculture, Engineering and Science, College of Health Science, and College of Humanities. This diverse sample assisted in capturing a range of perspectives and experiences from participants who represent different provinces, metropolitan municipalities, districts, and local municipalities. Participants were invited to complete an open-ended survey questionnaire that explored their awareness of municipal engagement opportunities, their personal experiences with using smartphone apps for this purpose, their perceived benefits and challenges of using such apps, and their overall attitudes toward the use of technology for civic participation. The questionnaire was designed using a simple English language to make it easy for participants to understand the questions. The survey questionnaire was designed to gather both descriptive and explanatory data, providing rich insights into the students’ viewpoints. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis, a robust qualitative data analysis method that involves systematically identifying, analysing, and reporting key patterns and themes within the data. The findings were presented in a narrative format, highlighting the prominent themes that emerged from the students’ detailed responses. This study is expected to provide valuable, in-depth insights into the perceptions and attitudes of this sample of university students towards the use of smartphone apps for participating in municipal matters.
results
Participants provided between one and five responses for each question, averaging six responses across all 17 questions. They typically wrote a few sentences on the questionnaire, sharing their experiences, views, and attitudes regarding the use of smartphone apps to engage with municipalities. Through thematic analysis, 70 codes were identified and organised into three overarching themes: (1) The role of smartphone apps in municipalities, (2) Challenges and motivators for youth involvement in municipal governance, and (3) User- focused design and inclusivity in municipal apps. A summary of these themes together with their sub-themes is presented in Table 1.
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