Factors of political literacy among higher institution’s student in Sungai Petani, Kedah / Puteri Aisha Mohd Roslan and Fatin Adila Ahmad Zuhairi

Literacy is an action and not a generalized ability a person possesses. It is a set of actions and transitions in which people use reading and writing for personal and social purpose (Inglis & Aers, 2008). According to Denver & et al. (1990), political literacy is a set of abilities considered necessary for citizens to participate in a society’s government. In political aspect, the literacy also needed in order for the individual to understand more about the political news. It is usually referring to learning in schools about the institutions and processes of a specific political system. In this dimension, political literacy has been understood as attempting a mass program through education for citizenship. Political literacy cannot be measure directly, but it can be presumed that if people are politically literate, they understand party differences and know basic political concepts and facts (Cassel, Carol & Celia, 1997).